Will Nelson and the Philosopher's Stone
by Superactor
Summary: A Harry Potter Fan died and was given a mission. To travel to another world and destroy all things that damage the soul. Waking in the body of a child that had it's soul removed, he gave himself a personal mission as well, give young Harry Potter a friend. Welcoming Reader Contribution, open to writing gay relationships.
1. Chapter 1, What Happens After

Hello everyone, it's my first time writing one of these so please be gentle. Well, I'm open to criticism too but please be polite about it.

* * *

Looking down, he watched the quickly arriving emergency vehicles move past the other cars on the road to arrive at the accident as fast as possible. Unfortunately they were just a little bit too late. He hoped they were fast enough for the others in the car though. Huh. It was an odd feeling, being dead. Looking at his own body splayed out on the road. It wasn't too smart to read while you walked, he knew that logically, but it was a habit he'd picked up from his mother. Maybe now she'd stop doing it as well, it worried his father to no end when she did.

Moving a little closer, he noticed the book he'd been reading. Man, it was covered in dirt and blood, too. It was his favorite book from the Harry Potter series, the Prisoner of Azkaban. He'd been re-reading it for the umpteenth time when this all went down.

As he watched the ambulance finally arrive, he noticed a strange feeling of disconnect with everything. All of the emotions he should be feeling, the loneliness, the anger, the despair, seemed far away as if they were fading into the distance. All he was left with was a sense of calm acceptance. It felt almost like a hand on his shoulder, and suddenly everything else seemed to fall away, the scene of the accident becoming blurry, indistinct, and finally fading away all together.

He found himself in a white expanse, a void of fog. A bright light out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see a glowing figure. It was vaguely humanoid, a downwards triangle formed a torso, and there were lines extending out from the corners to form arms and legs. A circle hovered above, forming a sort of halo around two bright points of light that sat roughly where eyes would be.

He circled around the figure, looking at it while also looking off into the distance to get a feeling of his surroundings. It was sort of strange, it was really easy to split his focus for some reason, something he'd never been truly able to do while he was alive. A human body limitation, he guessed. The figure seemed almost amused, and as he rotated around it, he noticed that it always seemed to be facing him, without it actually moving.

Once he was satisfied with observing his surroundings (Nothing to report. As far as he could tell, they were alone in a vast nothingness), he faced the figure, regarding it curiously.

"You done?" The figure spoke, and how did it do that if it didn't have a mouth? He should probably stop trying to put things into a human perspective. The voice sounded familiar, SO familiar, but he couldn't tell if it was male or female, or both? Neither? Whatever.

"Yes, for now." He said, smiling at the figure. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"You'll get a bald spot if you keep doing that," The figure said, chuckling. That phrase tugged at something in his memory. That was familiar too, something his-

"Grandma?" He asked, looking curiously at it, her?

"Yep," it said happily, "Look at you, I've missed you honey." He was sure now, this WAS his Grandmother, somehow. She'd died not that long ago. He'd missed her. Why she'd look like this though, he had no idea.

"It's something that happens with time, the longer you're dead. For example, what's your name?" Grandma asked. He was surprised, a little hurt, and opened his mouth to reply.

"It's-" He stopped. Nothing came to him, he was drawing a complete blank. "Oh."

"Don't worry about it," Grandma laughed, and how he'd _missed_ her laugh, "The longer you're dead, that more that kind of thing will happen. You'll forget your human shape as well, and look like me after a while, too."

He was shocked, and a little afraid, "I don't _want_ to forget everything!"

"Oh," she breathed, "No, no, don't worry about that. You won't forget everything. For example, I'll always be your Grandma. I'll always love your Grandpa, and I'll always love you. You'll keep everything you consider important to you."

She smiled at him and opened her arms for a hug. He took the invitation, seemingly teleporting over to her. Quickly wrapping his arms around the figure, he sighed into her shoulder. It was a different sort of hug than the ones they'd shared when they were alive, but the general feeling was the same. Instead of feeling a physical body, it felt a bit like he was hugging a gust of warm air, or a thunderstorm, or a hot bath, or a star, or- well, never mind. He was hugging his Grandma, and that's what mattered.

They reluctantly pulled away from each other, and his Grandmother tipped her head to the left, "Let's sit down. Okay?" She took his hand and walked him to a couch that was not there a minute ago. He followed her, and sat down next to her. Looking at the armrest, he recognized the pattern on it. It was _her_ couch, the one from her house. Seeing it brought up all sorts of memories, like his Grandpa doing the crossword puzzle every morning- that thought brought him up short.

"Where's Grandpa?" He asked, confused. Grandma laughed.

"Not far, we didn't want to overwhelm you with everyone all at once. Traditionally, there's one person to meet you once you first pass over, and I won the rock-paper-scissors contest."

He opened his mouth and his Grandma cut in, "I can see what's going on in that head of yours, honey. No being sassy now." He shut his mouth. "I may not have fingers right now," She raised her glowing arms, "But I can have them if I feel like it." The end of her arm split into a reasonable approximation of a hand with four fingers and a thumb.

He considered for a moment, she'd done that earlier too. "You can read my mind?" He asked a little hesitantly. There went privacy down the drain.

"Oh no, honey, no I can't," she laughed, "I just know you. Anyway, there's some things I need to tell you before you get fully settled in here. You're going to have to let go of your life on earth. Being here comes with a lot of power, but there are some rules to go with it. You can't interfere with the life you came from. That means you can't go back to the planet you left, got it?"

He nodded and looked around, slightly confused. "Where IS here, anyway?" Same old fog, with the new addition of a couch. Actually, it almost seemed like the rest of her living room was trying to materialize as well, every once and awhile a blurry outline of a chair or TV would pop into view and vanish just as suddenly. Seeing what he was looking at, Grandma glared at the current outline of the window into the backyard and it sheepishly vanished.

"Your Grandpa was always better at getting things to stay stable. My mind is always trying to fill in the blanks." She chuckled. "Anyway, there isn't really a name for this place, but for now Heaven will do. Now, what was I saying? Oh yes, you can't go back to the planet you left, but you _can_ watch if you feel like it."

The planet you _left,_ huh? "So I can go to other planets then?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, all people who die end up here. So we can go to other planets as well. Most don't bother though." She said, giving him the side eye. "What are you thinking, you've got a sneaky look in your eyes."

"Is the multiverse theory true?" He asked, getting a little excited. He _might_ have the beginnings of an idea.

"Yes…" His Grandmother said hesitantly, "But some of those worlds are dangerous. I'm not sure that's a good-"

"What about Harry Potter then, does a world exist where those books are real?" He smiled at the thought.

"That's one of the dangerous ones," His Grandma said, frowning, "Dementors are no joke to a soul. They could seriously harm you."

"What about possession then?" He returned, frowning slightly. "If I was _in_ a body, then-"

"Hmm," His Grandmother considered for a moment, "It'd have to be a vacant one, regular souls can't possess bodies with a soul already inside. Is this something you'd like to do? It'd still be dangerous." She looked at him, considering.

"Yes." He nodded, "I've always wanted to experience magic." He looked at her seriously, and she nodded and stood up.

"Alright, there's someone I need to talk to before you'd be allowed to do that." She turned on the spot and vanished for a moment before reappearing.

"I've done it! I got permission!" She exclaimed, surprising him.

"What, just like that?" He said, shocked. "You were barely gone a second!"

"Time is relative here," She said, waving her hand dismissively, "I've actually been gone awhile, but I figured you wouldn't like to wait."

"Oh, thanks for that I guess," He said, frowning, "What did you mean, permission? From who?"

"One of your Grandpa's old war buddies got promoted to upper brass, so we go to him if we have any favors we need done. He asked his boss about it and apparently they've been wanting to get rid of dementors for a while, but nobody has stepped up to the plate to deal with the problem. Dementors are an old accident that weren't supposed to exist in the first place. _Nothing_ is supposed to be able to destroy a soul completely. Let's not even get _started_ on Horcruxes. Both of those things are blasphemies against the natural order and both of those existing in the same place is definitely up for some serious intervention."

"Now are you sure you want to do this? If you say yes we need to send you off as soon as possible." She looked at him, smiling slightly. "I'm proud of you, you know? Whether or not you do this. This would be something really good that you could do to really help, but you don't need to do it at all. They'll find somebody else to do it if you don't."

His head was swimming with all of the information he'd just been given. But he was still pretty sure he wanted to do this, so he straightened his shoulders and nodded. His Grandmother seemed to slump over for a moment, but quickly straightened up again.

"Oh honey, you've always been the type to plunge straight ahead when there was something you wanted, I just wish it didn't put you in so much danger." She nodded her head. "Okay. Now there's a few choices you need to make. We'll be putting you in the body of someone who had their soul sucked out by a dementor. Would you like to be a boy or a girl?"

"Um," He said, "Boy would be nice, I don't want to have to get used to being a different gender."

"I figured you'd say that, but I was told to ask," She chuckled. "Now you can be an adult or a child, but the recommendation is to be a child Harry Potter's age. That way you'll be in a prime spot to get rid of the Horcruxes, and people won't be quite as suspicious if you start acting a little strange. Hormones, you know how it is."

He nodded. "A child would be better, I think. Would I be going to Hogwarts as well?" The idea intrigued him. Which in itself was odd. It was something he'd always desperately wanted, but the most emotion he could pull up was mild interest? Being a soul without a body was weird.

"Alright, here's the profiles of a few boys that match your parameters." She waved her hands and a few images appeared before him. He read the accompanying text and singled out one kid who's background profile most matched his own. William Nelson. Family of five, mum and dad, younger brother and sister. Happy childhood until the dementor attack. The parents were muggles and the kids were all muggleborn wizards and a witch. The boy was 9 years old currently and had been in a 'coma' for about three months. They lived in Surrey, which held some possibilities. Maybe he could get the family to move to Little Whinging. If not, they didn't live _too_ far away. He nodded and pointed to Will's picture.

"This one?" His Grandma smiled, "Alright, I'll get everything sorted out." She waved her hand and the other images vanished. She took a hold of Will's file as if it was a solid object and not a floating image and disappeared again. She was back a half second later, holding a glowing ball of light.

"We love you, you know?" She said, smiling, "I think you'll do really well. You've always been determined once you set your mind on something." Handing him the ball, she closed his hands over it. "Hopefully this will keep you safe. Upper brass told me it would help you out." She gave him a quick hug. "Don't worry about us. We'll have all the time in the world once you get back."

And suddenly he was falling. Looking upwards, he saw his Grandma waving to him, and suddenly another figure was there with his arm around her shoulder. The other figure, it must have been his Grandpa, started waving as well. He waved back and shouted "Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!" back towards them. He wasn't sure if they even heard him or not because as soon as he finished they vanished into white fog. The fog was all around him now, streaming past him as he fell backwards into nothingness.

In a sudden jolt he sat up in bed, his eyes flying open. He was _alive_.

* * *

So as you read in the summary, I'm open to talking to readers about things happening in the story. I have some stuff planned out but I'm also free-form writing this as well. Ideas are welcome, but don't be upset if I shoot some of them down, they might clash with some of the stuff I have planned. I'm open to gay relationships, canon characters and my OC as well. They'd have to make sense though, so Snarry is out.


	2. Chapter 2, Settling In

Upon waking, the first thing Will did was take stock of his surroundings. He was laying in a hospital bed and had an IV hooked up to his arm. There seemed to be a machine monitoring him as well, because not long after he woke a nurse came in to check on him. After that there was a flurry of motion with doctors and nurses running in and out, asking him questions and checking his vitals. He played along as best he could, answering their questions about how he was feeling best he could, but faking amnesia for the rest. The medical staff seemed both relieved and confused. For him to have been in such a sudden coma, and for him to come out of it so suddenly as well, with no memory on top of that was some kind of medical mystery apparently.

It also didn't take long for Will's parents to arrive as well. They had obviously been coached by the doctors, because they both introduced themselves. His mother looked like she had recently cried. His father gave him a sad look when he thought Will wasn't looking. Upon seeing them Will burst into tears. Everything was so overwhelming! All of the emotions he should have been feeling since his death came back with a vengeance, and he cried. He cried for his previous family members, ones he wouldn't see for a long time and must be hurting without him. He cried for his new family, who didn't even know their real son was gone, and was replaced by an impostor, why had he thought this was a good idea? And he cried for himself. All of the things he'd planned to do with his old life were never going to happen now.

His new parents were shocked, but quickly comforted him. His mum pulled him into a hug and ran a hand through his hair. Will thought he heard a few tears from her as well. His dad sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. They just held him and let him cry until he was exhausted. He pretended to fall asleep, and his parents laid him down again. He took the time to gather his thoughts as they spoke softly to each other.

One of the things that had been so shocking about seeing his new parents was that he remembered them. It seemed that some of Will's memories were still here in his head. That was helpful, if somewhat distressing. He could only remember bits and pieces, but maybe some more would come back after he settled in? He opened his eyes again.

His mum was a pretty thirty-something brunette, with shoulder length curly hair and a kind disposition. He took after her the most in looks, including her blue eyes and curly hair, but had his dad's auburn hair color and freckles. His dad was average height, and his mum was a bit short.

His mum noticed him looking at her and smiled at him, wiping her sleeve across her eyes, "Oh, we thought you fell asleep. Are you alright now?"

Will flushed, his mind going back to his little breakdown before, "I'm sorry about that, I'm not sure what happened." He figured it was probably best to let them come up with their own theories on why he had been so upset.

"It's okay, sweetie, we don't mind," She replied, moving over to place her hand on top of his, "It's part of being a parent."

"I remember you, you know," Will said, "It's only bits and pieces but I definitely remember you," he turned to look at his dad, "Both of you."

His dad looked visibly relieved, "Really? You do? That's really good to hear, son. We were worried about how you might feel, being taken care of by virtual strangers."

His mother smiled at him and squeezed his hand, "You'll have to stay here a little while longer, but once the doctors get all of your testing done you'll be able to come home again, okay?"

"Okay!" Will agreed, smiling up at her.

* * *

It didn't take long for the doctors to okay him to leave the Hospital. Apparently he was in a lot better shape than they'd originally thought, but he'd still have to go to physical therapy for a while to get his muscles back in shape. As his father carried him to the car, he waved to the nurses who had run him through all of his testing. The nurses smiled and waved back as the Hospital doors closed.

After a bit of a drive, he saw a familiar house approach out the car window. "Is that it?" He asked, pointing. They'd been playing a bit of a game on the way back, the 'guess which house is our house' game. So far, this was the only house that felt right.

"Yep!" His dad said proudly, "Home sweet home! Good one, kiddo!" Dad turned the wheel to pull into the driveway, and after they pulled the car in, got out to open Will's door. Will reached his arms out to his dad, and he lifted him up, balancing him on his hip.

"Aren't I heavy?" Will asked as his dad carried him up the front steps, his mum hurrying to open the front door for them.

"Nope! You're pretty light, actually." Dad said, setting him on the couch in the living room.

'Probably because of the weight I lost in my 'coma'.' Will thought, frowning slightly. This whole thing still felt weird to him, essentially taking someone else's life for his own. He tried to rationalize it in that if he hadn't, the body would have gone unused for the rest of its life, however long that was.

Right then, distracting him from his thoughts, two familiar kids ran in. One was a boy, a bit younger than Will, and the other was a girl, much younger. These must be his siblings that his parents had told him about. Liam, and Alice. Liam was a year younger, currently eight, and Alice was four years younger, currently five.

"Will!" Alice shrieked, rushing over, "You're alright!" She'd probably been coached by their parents, because all she did was grab his hand, even though it looked at first like she was going to throw herself at him for a hug.

"'Course he's alright, mum and dad said so, didn't they?" Liam said, walking over more sedately. He looked like he was trying to play it cool, but was just as excited.

"It's good to see you guys," Will smiled, "I've missed you." Alice beamed, and Liam looked embarrassed.

"Alright, break it up," Mum called from the kitchen, "It's getting close to dinner time, so all of you go wash your hands."

Will started to stand up, but his father stopped him. "Sorry Will, but you're not to be walking on your own yet. We'll be getting you a wheelchair tomorrow, and I'm afraid you'll have to use it for a while."

Will nodded as his father wiped his hands with a washcloth, "I figured something like that would happen, yeah."

Dad finished wiping Will's hands and lifted him to carry him into the kitchen for dinner. He smiled at Will, shaking his head, "You were always smart like that Will. I've missed you, you know? We're all glad to have you back."

Will felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, but managed to smile back at his new Dad. "Thanks, I've missed you guys too."

Later that night, Will struggled to fall asleep. As he looked at the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars glued to his ceiling, he wrestled with the feeling of guilt he was carrying. It was odd, being in an entirely new place but having it feel so familiar at the same time. It was like Deja vu, but continuously, a constant itching in the back of his mind. Hopefully that feeling would go away soon.

He rolled over, the effort making him strain a little. Physical Therapy should help with that, but for now he felt as weak as a newborn kitten. He was also exhausted. Yawning, Will snuggled into his pillow. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard to fall asleep as he thought. He closed his eyes.

The next thing he was aware of he was floating in the air above his bed. Surprised, he looked down to see Will's body sleeping soundly. There was also a glowing cord attached to his sleeping chest. As he followed it, he noticed it connected to his chest, and that his chest was a glowing downwards triangle. He reached to grab the cord, surprised, but noticed that his arms were glowing lines as well, ending in points made of light. He'd taken a form similar to his Grandma's form.

Floating over to a mirror, he saw the room reflected back at him, with his body still in bed, but couldn't see his current form. Astral projection? That was….interesting. Moving over to the door he paused to try to turn the handle but his hand went right through. Oh, duh. He passed through the door and followed the sound of quiet voices to the living room downstairs.

He paused at the top of the stairs, afraid to be seen by his new family.

"We'll have to move," His mother was saying, "This house isn't wheelchair accessible, and he'll need to use one for at least a month."

"We can talk to the kids about it later," His dad replied, "Right now I'm just glad everyone is back together. As far as I'm concerned, this is a miracle. He was in a vegetative state, that doctor had told us to consider taking him off life support."

"I probably shouldn't have yelled at him about that," His mother sighed, "I was nowhere near ready to consider something that drastic."

"If you hadn't yelled, I would have," his father replied, somewhat upset, "That doctor had a horrible bedside manner. He wasn't even delicate about it."

Mum paused, "Were you considering it?"

"No, not even close. Will's a fighter, I knew he'd get through this."

Will suddenly realized that his parent's voices were getting closer. He swiveled around to see his parents at the bottom of the stairs looking straight at him. He froze. They kept moving towards him. Frozen, Will tried to open his mouth to explain, but then realized he didn't even have one. So preoccupied with trying to figure out how to speak, he didn't notice his parents getting even closer until his dad passed right through him. Will turned around again to see his father shiver a bit.

"Cold?" His mother asked.

"No," His father said, confused, before chuckling, "It feels like someone walked over my grave."

Will took that as his cue to get back to bed, and flew back to his room. He laid down in exactly the position his body was in, and with a weird suction feeling, he fell back into his body and was immediately asleep.

* * *

After waking up the next day, he lay in bed for a while, planning. (And waiting for his dad to get him out of bed.)

Hopefully he'd be able to convince his parents to move to Little Whinging. The place seemed nice enough, if you didn't mind boring. Maybe they'd be able to find a house for sale that is wheelchair accessible. One of the things he wanted to do was give Harry Potter a friend. When he read the books originally, one of the things he'd felt the worst about was just how lonely Harry was. He decided to bring up the moving conversation to his parents when the electric wheelchair arrived that morning.

As he sat on the couch, and his father set up the wheelchair, Will saw his moment.

"This house isn't very wheelchair friendly, is it?" He asked, trying his best innocent kid voice.

"No, it's not," Dad said, sighing. "We were thinking about moving houses anyway, this one is a bit small for us now with three kids."

"Where to? Somewhere nearby?" asked Will, cocking his head to the side.

"Well," Dad paused, "Somewhere a bit closer to where your mum works would be nice, and somewhere with a good schooling system."

Will had no idea where his mum worked. "What about Little Whinging? I heard it's pretty nice there."

His dad nodded. "Yes, that was one of the places we were considering, an- wait, why did you bring that up?" He looked up at Will, curiously.

Thinking quickly, Will replied, "One of the nurses at the hospital was talking about it, she said that the schools there were pretty good, and the neighborhood is lovely."

"Hmm," his dad said, "I'll talk to your mother about it and we'll see what she thinks."

Mum must have liked the idea because it was only about a week later that they were moving into a nice-sized, wheelchair accessible, large-family friendly house at the address of Number 7, Magnolia Crescent, Little Whinging, Surrey.


	3. Chapter 3, A New Friend

Will was ecstatic. After begging and pleading and cajoling his parents, he'd finally gotten them to allow him to go back to school. His father had laughed about it actually. Apparently he'd been expecting Will to beg for more sick leave, not less. But Will had been sticking rigorously to his physical therapy schedule, and was showing more improvements than expected. He could walk around without getting immediately tired as soon as he stood up, but only for a few minutes before he had to sit down again. His arms were actually doing better than expected, and he'd switched to a wheelchair he could move himself by turning the wheels.

The school Will would be attending would be the Primary School for the area, so he was pretty confident that he'd be going to the same school as Harry. He just hoped they'd be in the same class. He'd astral projected a few times since the first time, and overheard a conversation between his parents. Apparently his mum was a decently famous lawyer (Who knew?), and the school had bent over backward to try to please her. Will wasn't surprised. A school system that let child abuse continue right under its nose probably wasn't the greatest when it came to social situations. But the fact that the school was acting like such a sycophant to his mother had some possibilities.

It was already paying off, Will noted as he was rolled up to the school's front doors by his parents. Someone had taken the time to build a ramp up the front three steps so he'd be able to get in the building. His mother was a little teary, but this wasn't her first kid's first day at a new school so she managed to get through it without crying. After goodbyes and hugs with his parents, Will found himself being wheeled down the hall by a pleasant-faced woman towards his new class.

"You'll just love it here," she was saying cheerfully, "Everyone is very welcoming and friendly. I'm sure you'll be making friends in no time!"

"I sure hope so," Will replied, beaming at her. He'd been practicing his childish facial expressions in the mirror while he was stuck at home, so he knew his gap-tooth grin was pretty cute. She smiled back at him, and wheeled him to a stop in front of a door. After knocking, she stuck her head in, and after whispering for a moment, pulled the door fully open. Will saw she'd been talking to an older woman who must be his teacher. The older woman smiled at him, and beckoned him inside. Wheeling his way in, he saw all of the other students sitting behind desks, peering over each other to get a look at him. He quailed under their stares, and hurried after the teacher.

"Alright class," She announced, "We'll be having a new student joining us this term, so please make him feel welcome." After she said this, she turned to face him and said softly, "Would you like to introduce yourself or would you prefer I did it?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Will smiled, hiding his nerves, "I'd like to do it, Miss?" He looked at her in question.

"You can call me Ms. Taylor, and please go ahead and introduce yourself, I need to get class started." She said, seemingly smiling at him without realizing it.

Will turned to face the class, and smiled widely at them. "I'm Will Nelson! It's nice to meet you guys!"

Ms. Taylor nodded to him, "Where would you like to sit? Up here near the front?" She gestured to a seat in front of an overweight boy with an innocent expression on his face. Uh oh, that was probably Dudley, no thanks.

"I'm afraid my wheelchair might get in the way of whoever sits behind me, so can I sit in the back?" He whispered to her, frowning a little. She struggled for a moment and then seemed to cave, nodding to him.

'There's an open seat in the back right next to Mr. Potter," She said, and raised her voice a bit, "Harry, can you clean off the desk next to you? Will here, is going to be your seat neighbor!"

A dark haired boy in the back corner next to the window startled, and turned from looking out the window to look at the teacher. Will smiled at him and waved. Harry looked surprised, and quickly moved his things off of Will's new desk. There wasn't much, just a pencil and a damaged looking notebook. Will frowned at that, before plastering a smile back on. He moved his wheelchair as quickly as he could down the aisle, which was thankfully wide enough that he didn't need to worry about running over any feet.

Once he got to the back, he spun his wheelchair in a bit of a flourish, coming to rest seated behind his desk. He'd practiced that move a couple times at home as well, so he didn't end up toppling over every time he did it. Harry looked surprised when Will looked at him, and when Will smiled at him, Harry gave him a hesitant smile back. Seemingly realizing where he was, Harry schooled his face into an expression of disinterest, and turned to look out the window again. Will didn't mind, he counted the little smile Harry gave him as a win in his book.

That was all Will was able to do before Ms. Taylor got class started.

* * *

School was boring and frustrating, in equal measures. The math was stupidly simple, and English was laughably easy as well. Science and Art were fine, at least there were experiments to run and art to make, but Geography and History were surprisingly difficult. He was surprised when the first question's answer was something different than he expected. Was he just remembering it wrong, or was this world's history somewhat different than his? Physical Education was boring as expected though, seeing as he couldn't participate.

What was interesting was what happened when lunch rolled around. As soon as the break was announced, Will turned to Harry, "Could you help me find the lunchroom?" Harry seemed surprised, but nodded his head.

"Alright," He said, before considering, "Do you need me to push you or-?" Harry let his question trail off, looking embarrassed.

"No, I've got it!" Will said brightly, turning his chair to face the aisle. Harry stood up and made sure all of his things were out of the aisle for Will to move past. Will smiled at him, and they headed off to lunch, Harry slowing his pace to let Will keep up. They talked about simple things as they entered the lunchroom, and Will laughed at Harry's dry wit. He was pretty funny actually. Will sat at the end of one of the lunch tables, and waited for Harry to get his lunch. As he sat waiting, the large boy from class walked up to him with another even larger boy leading the way. Will had only thought the boy in class was Dudley, but this even bigger boy must be him.

Dudley? smirked at him, "I heard from Malcolm here that you were getting chummy with Potter." Malcolm nodded and cracked his knuckles. Will supposed it was to look tough, but he was having a hard time trying not to laugh at the sight of this child attempting to be threatening.

Dudley must have misread Will's cramped facial expression as one of fear, because he smiled nastily at Will. "You'll stay away from Potter if you know what's good for you." He said, slamming his hand on the table for emphasis, looking over Will's shoulder.

Will smiled at them, "thanks for the advice. I'm pretty good at judging people, so I'm sure I'll do what's best for me." He turned his head, and saw they'd drawn a lot of attention from the other students in the room. He also saw Harry standing forlornly a little ways away, a hurt expression on his face. Will beamed at him and waved him over, "What are you standing over there for? Come on over!" He called.

Harry's face perked up, and he smiled a little at Will. After a nervous glance at Dudley, he started walking over.

Dudley glared at Will, sizing him up. He snorted dismissively and said, "Whatever. You'll figure it out soon enough. Everyone always does." He trudged off, knocking into Harry as he passed sending Harry's lunch tray to the floor. "Oops," He laughed, and high fived Malcolm as they left.

Will frowned at Dudley, turning his chair to face Harry, and started helping him pick up his lunch. The milk was okay, just a little dented, but the sandwich was pitiful and the apple was one big bruise. Harry sighed, setting his tray on the table, and started unwrapping his sandwich. To be honest, the school lunch wasn't that great before Dudley knocked it on the floor. The sandwich looked old, but at least it wasn't moldy. Will looked at his lunch and smiled. Opening it quickly, he saw that his mum had packed extra, just as he asked. He'd told her it was in order to make friends, but he'd been afraid of what Harry's lunch situation was like. It was worse than he thought.

He pulled out a cupcake, the frosting a little smushed from being carried around all day, but still good. There were a couple more, all rather small. "Want one?" Will asked, holding the cupcake out to Harry. Harry looked shocked, like he'd never even had a cupcake before, and with a sinking feeling Will realized he probably hadn't. Keeping the smile on his face, Will gestured to him, "I have more if that's what you're worried about, or if it's because it's squished-"

"No!" Harry blurted out, then looked embarrassed, "I'll take it, thank you." Taking the cupcake, Harry unwrapped it with more care than had ever been shown to a pastry before.

"You know it's not going to break, you don't need to be that careful." Will said wryly, and Harry snorted, before chuckling. He took a bite and smiled, but to Will it almost looked like he might cry.

"Are you alright?" Will asked, concerned, "I have a few more if you want another one."

"I'm alright," Harry said, rubbing a quick hand over his eyes, "Just got something in my eye s'all."

Will decided not to call Harry's bluff, and they had a nice lunch together, splitting the food between them. Will loved Harry's sense of humor. Did he say that already?

After school Will tried to talk to Harry again, but he'd disappeared. As Will had to get to choir rehearsal, he decided to try to talk to Harry tomorrow. Choir was good, they made him feel welcome and the songs were fun, but Will still felt like there was somewhere else should have been.

* * *

This one was a little shorter than I would have liked, but it felt like a natural stopping point.


	4. Chapter 4, A Home Visit

I wanted to thank everyone for the reviews, mostly because I didn't expect to get any yet. I'm mostly writing this for fun, but if I can entertain others doing that as well, I'll be really happy.

* * *

It took Will a few days, but he figured out where Harry was going right when school ended. The library. Will had never pegged Harry as the studious sort, but upon thinking about it a bit more Will figured the library was likely the last place Dudley would ever want to go, so it was probably safe. He didn't follow him in there though. Harry deserved a place where he felt safe, and Will wanted to give Harry some space. He figured what he was doing was toeing the line of stalking someone, so he wouldn't go to the library while Harry was there unless asked.

His relationship with Harry had improved though. They shared Will's lunch during break, and chatted during down times in classes. Harry was hesitant to talk about himself, but Will had managed to get him to tell him a little bit. He now 'knew' that Harry lived with his aunt and uncle, and that Dudley was his cousin. That had been a bit of a wild conversation. It had started friendly enough, but Harry had run to the bathroom and while he was gone Dudley and his gang had approached Will.

"Hey Dud, isn't that the cripple that hangs around with Potter?" One of his goons, Piers Will thought it was, said snickering.

Will sighed, and ignored them. He wasn't 'crippled' as they put it, but that still wasn't a nice thing to call anyone. Not to mention how prejudiced it was. But kids could be cruel, and they were essentially parrots for things their parents had said. Thinking about it that way, Will felt a little bad for them. He turned to look at them and saw that they were staring at him, obviously expecting him to do something. What that something was, Will had no idea. Cry, maybe? Attack them in rage? Will did neither.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Will asked, flashing a smile in their direction. Dudley paused, wrong-footed. That hadn't been what he'd been prepared for, obviously. He plunged on ahead anyway.

"Why are you still hanging around Potter anyway," Dudley complained, "You have to have noticed how weird he is by now." He stomped his foot, as if that would get Will to do what he wanted.

"I like his sense of humor, and he's nice and helpful. He's a good friend," Will replied, "Why does it matter to you?" He cocked his head to the side, looking confusedly at Dudley. Dudley had a strange look on his face. Like he'd never even considered the idea that someone could actually like Harry.

"All you're doing is asking for trouble," Dudley replied, almost growling out the words. "You could get in a lot of danger doing that."

"What's life without a little strife to keep things interesting?" Will laughed, before going silent at the look on Dudley's face. It was a mixture of suspicion, anger, and was that a bit of fear?

"You're just as weird as he is," Dudley finally decided, and turned to walk away. "Whatever, you'll end up just like him in the end. All alone." He kicked Will's backpack as he walked away for good measure.

Will sighed and did his best to pick up the papers that had scattered from Dudley's kick, but it was a bit difficult to get them all. As he struggled, Will heard a "Here, let me-" and a hand helped him get some of the papers that had fallen under a picnic table. It was Harry's hand of course, and Will smiled sheepishly at him.

"I'm sorry-" They both said, and then stopped chuckling.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong." Will said, smiling ruefully.

"Well, neither did you." Harry added, chuckling.

"These are my papers we're picking up, aren't they?" Will replied, putting the last of the papers back in his bag.

"But you didn't knock them over."

"Neither did you. As far as I'm aware it was Dursley's fault."

"But he's only doing this to you because of me!" Harry nearly shouted, surprising Will. He hadn't realized Harry was getting upset. Thankfully they were off in a corner of the playground, so there weren't that many kids around.

"I think you'll find I can be quite annoying, with or without your influence." Will replied, trying to add some levity to the conversation. Harry snickered despite himself, then fell silent. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Will rolled his chair closer to Harry, and put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but didn't pull away, which Will took as a sign of acceptance. He was shocked to see just how small Harry looked at this moment. "Why do you think he's like that? As far as I can tell he seems to hate you for no reason." Will asked. He knew the answer of course, but he was curious what Harry would say at this point in time.

"He's always been like that." Harry muttered, turning his head to the side so he could look at Will. He paused, considering Will for a moment, before blurting out, "He's my cousin."

Will stopped. He wasn't sure what to do here, but Harry probably expected some kind of reaction. "I figured it was something like that," Will said, which was partially true. "Does he treat you like this at home as well?" Harry nodded, looking away. "Why don't your uncle and aunt do something?"

"They think he can do no wrong, They baby him." Harry grimaced. Will grimaced in sympathy, before being struck with an idea.

"Why don't you come over to my house?" Will asked, smiling at Harry. "It'd be fun!"

Harry was as enthusiastic about the idea as Will was. Any time away from the Dursley's was probably a blessing for him. Will had to burst his bubble a bit though, by telling him he'd need permission from his parents and Harry's aunt and uncle. But Will had a bit of a plan that he filled Harry in on. All he needed now was his mum's cooperation.

* * *

"You want to have a friend over?" Mum asked, surprised, "That sounds like fun! We'll need to talk to their parents first, who is it?"

"My friend Harry," Will said, before frowning, "But I'm not sure his aunt and uncle will agree."

"Why not?" Mum asked, somewhat concerned, "Is it too far of a drive?"

"No," Will said, frowning, "They live at Number four, Privet Drive, a few blocks away. It's just that they don't even seem to… like him." He was afraid he was pushing too much, too fast. Harry still needed the protection of the wards on Privet Drive, unfortunately.

Will looked up, and saw that he had suddenly had Mum's full attention. It was a bit unnerving to be honest. His mum had been proven to be extremely quick on the uptake so far, and he always felt like she was seeing right through him when he had her full attention.

"What do you mean, they don't seem to like him?" Mum asked casually, but Will wasn't fooled. She was watching his every movement. Probably what made her such a good lawyer.

Looking away, Will played up his nervousness. He didn't have to fake it, it was pretty real at the moment. "They have both Dudley and Harry, but Dudley seems to have all of the best stuff, and Harry's stuff looks all ragged. Plus, Dudley isn't very nice to Harry at school, and apparently it's not too different at home." Was that too much? It wasn't too much, was it? He was walking a fine line here, trying to help Harry's home life, but without getting him removed from the Dursley's. Not yet at least. But hopefully after they start Hogwarts.

His mum 'hmm'ed, and turned away from him. "Maybe I'll take a trip over there to invite him over to our house personally." And to scope things out, more like. But Will didn't say that bit out loud.

"That could work," Will said, "And maybe you can talk about how you're an important lawyer as well. I think that would help."

Mum looked at him again, "You know I don't like doing that. It was bad enough with how your school treated us after they found out." She paused, drumming her fingers on the table. "Do you really think it will help?"

"Show up in one of your nice business pantsuits, I bet they'll fall all over you." Will recommended, smiling.

His mum stood up. "Alright then, I'll see what I can do." She headed to the stairs, but stopped before ascending. "Will?" She called, and Will froze in position. He turned to look at her, nerves flaring when he saw he had her full attention again. "Do you think there's actual abuse going on there?"

Will stopped a moment to consider. As far as the books said, the worst was starvation, Vernon and Dudley manhandling him a bit, and Petunia swinging a frying pan at Harry's head. But good ol' JK had been quoted saying she actually downplayed the abuse, seeing as the first couple books were for kids. It might actually be more important than he thought to get Harry out of that house.

"I… don't know. But what I've heard is pretty bad." Will decided on saying. Mum nodded, and straightened her shoulders. After a quick trip upstairs to change, his mum came back down looking like she was ready to take on the entire supreme court. A lovely pantsuit and some sensible heels, with her hair pulled back, and it looked like she'd pulled out the big guns in her heirloom pearl and diamond necklace. She looked dressed to kill, or at least issue some subpoenas.

"I'll be back in a little bit, call your brother and sister inside for a snack in about a half hour. I already prepared some apple slices and sandwiches for you guys. I'll be back not too long after that." Mum called on her way out. Will waved, and rolled himself to the kitchen.

* * *

About an hour later, his mum was back. She also had a rather bewildered Harry with her. Will had gotten his sister fed, his brother nearly made himself sick on too many sandwiches, and all in all everything was alright. Dad was scheduled to be home soon as well, so they'd have a full house tonight. As everyone was getting things ready for dinner, Harry sat dazedly on the living room couch. Will wheeled up to him and plopped down onto the couch next to him.

"What happened?" Will asked, "You seem a little out of it."

Harry shook himself a little and looked over at Will, bemused. "When your mum showed up, I was in the backyard weeding the flowerbeds, I missed some of it, but your mum is probably the coolest person I've ever met."

Will flushed, and smiled at Harry shyly, "Yeah, she's pretty great."

Harry continued, "From what I could hear, Aunt Petunia was fawning over her as soon as she arrived. Once it got out that she was here for me, not Dudley, Uncle Vernon tried to discourage her, but she steamrolled over him. We left them thinking it was good that I'd be spending time with you guys." He seemed almost in awe.

"That sounds about right," Will smiled, shaking his head, "Mum has the ability to completely take over a room just upon entering it. She'll have them doing what she wants, and thinking it was their idea. You'll see." He got up and sat back in his chair. 'Come on, let me show you my room." Will said, holding out his hand. Harry smiled at him and took it.

* * *

It had taken a while, but Will had gotten his new room in the new house exactly how he wanted it. He still had most of "Will's" old stuff, but any of the really childish stuff he had convinced his parents to put away. (They thought he was going through an 'I'm an adult now!' phase.) It had hurt too much to look at, thinking of the child that was gone. The only things he'd kept from 'his' toddler years were a blanket and stuffed bear that had obvious sentimental value. These things were kept in a box in the back of his closet.

His room now was on the ground floor, with light sky blue walls speckled with painted clouds (He'd had fun helping his parents paint those). The ceiling was done in a navy blue and covered in the same plastic glow-in-the-dark stars as his room before. He had a large, comfortable bed, a desk for doing homework, a dresser for clothes, and a shelving unit with cubbies and drawers for toys, books, and other kid treasures.

Will gave Harry a little tour of his room, showing Harry his stuff, but Harry seemed the most interested in the painted clouds on the walls. Will supposed they were somewhat impressive. His dad was a pretty good painter and had managed to make some of the clouds look almost real. His mother was not as good, but still decent. Will's clouds were somewhat embarrassing.

"I like the clouds," Harry said, smiling.

"My parents and I painted these together!" Will said happily.

"You painted these? That's impressive." Harry exclaimed gesturing to one of his dad's clouds, a darker purple one that looked like it might rain at any minute.

"Oh! No, my dad did those. I did, uh, the ones over there." Will said, a little embarrassed, pointing to the little lopsided clouds over by his desk.

"Oh," Harry said, flushing a little bit, "Those ones are pretty good too."

Will laughed, "You don't have to lie to me, but thank you for the compliment."

Harry chuckled, but continued, "It's still better than anything I could do."

"Have you tried?" Will asked, "I'm pretty sure I have some art supplies around here somewhere."

That was how they ended up spending the afternoon drawing. Truth be told, Harry wasn't that good of an artist, but neither was Will. Will was better at drawing people, but Harry was pretty decent at drawing cats, for some reason. When Will saw that he started laughing. Harry joined him not much later.

"Why are you only good at drawing cats?" Will choked out through his giggles.

"I don't know?!" Harry wheezed out, wiping his eyes. He was laughing so hard his eyes had welled up.

"Oh, my sides hurt!" Will laughed. He hadn't laughed this hard since before he died. They had a good time, laughing and joking, until mum called them for dinner.


	5. Chapter 5, Oops

After dinner (Which was a rather sad affair, seeing just how little Harry ate on a daily basis), mum sat Harry and Will down for a conversation while dad put Alice to bed.

"Okay, you two," mum said, "there's some things you need to know before going to bed tonight. I managed to convince the Dursleys that it'd be a good idea for Harry to spend part of the week with us. So Harry, you'll be staying with us on Wednesdays and weekends."

Will was elated. "That's _awesome! _We'll be able to hang out all the time now! Right Harry?" He turned to look at Harry, and saw a shocked look on his face.

Mum looked at Harry as well, and after a moment said, "Should I have asked first? I can talk to the Dursleys again if this isn't something you want to-"

"NO!" Harry almost shouted, "That sounds wonderful! I'd love to spend more time here!" And away from the Dursleys was implied, but not stated outright.

"Good, I was a little worried I'd overstepped for a moment," mum chuckled softly, "I made it clear that you're always welcome here to the Dursleys, so they can send you over on other nights as well if that's easier for them. Now, why don't the two of you get ready for bed. I'm pretty sure you two are about the same size, so Harry, you can borrow some of Will's pajamas. We also have an extra toothbrush somewhere around here. So get going you two."

As Harry and Will got ready for bed, mum got an extra mattress out and put it on the floor in Will's room. After putting sheets, blankets, and a couple pillows on, she called the boys in and tucked them both into bed.

"Night boys, it's a school night, so don't stay up too late talking, okay?" She said, turned the lights down dim, and closed the door.

Will wriggled under the covers, he was too excited to sleep. He hoped this was a good start in making Harry's childhood a little happier. If anyone deserved a little happiness, it was him.

"Hey, Will? Are you awake?" Harry whispered.

"Yeah? I can't fall asleep at the drop of a hat you know," Will answered dryly.

"Oh," Harry said, sounding a little embarrassed, "I just wanted to thank you for doing this for me, it means a lot to me."

"Don't worry about it." Will yawned, "This is the kind of thing friends do for each other. It's no problem. Besides, I like spending time with you."

"Still, it's-" Harry started, "I'm just-" He paused, then continued, "No one's ever done this for me before. So thank you."

Will felt a little bit like someone had punched him in the stomach. Emotionally, anyway. He tried to keep his voice light, "You're welcome, Harry. Now let's get to sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Okay," Harry yawned, and turned over.

* * *

Will had gotten better at Astral Projecting over the last week or so, and was able to do it on purpose now. He still had to be asleep to do it though. So once he was sure Harry had fallen asleep, he fell asleep as well and astral projected downstairs to find out what his parents were talking about. Hopefully something interesting.

As he hovered closer, he heard his dad say, "I still don't like it."

"We can't do anything about it without any proof, though." his mum replied. "This is the best we can do for now. The Dursleys know we'll be seeing him often, so can't leave any lasting damage, or anything that can't be explained away." It sounded as though they'd been talking about this for a while.

"But they really wouldn't let you get his things? Why would they do that?" his dad asked.

"I'm not sure, but I don't like the implications," his mum said, shaking her head. "They wouldn't even let me go upstairs to see his room. That whole house was strange."

"How so?"

"It felt too… clean. You know how movie sets and home staging photos have a sort of artificial feel to them? Like they're too perfect? It was like that. Real people don't live like that, there are signs of life like scuff marks, dirty laundry, books and newspapers lying where someone didn't finish reading them. It's like they were trying so hard to be perfect that it went all the way around the scale back to weird and bizarre."

"If they're happy that way, it's not for us to judge. I'm not going to fault them for that." his dad said, logically, "I _will_ judge them for abusing a child under their care, if we can prove it."

"All I'm saying is that she has to vacuum at least three times a day to get the carpets that clean." mum added, "That much vacuuming will damage her carpets over time."

"Really?" His dad deadpanned, "This is about the carpets?"

"No of course not!" mum replied, seemingly surprised, "I'm just confused. Why would they spend the effort when it's just damaging them over time? And I'm not just talking about the carpets here. That whole family is strange. Like they're actors on a show instead of people living their lives. It's damaging their relationships as well, most of the people in the neighborhood that I've talked to have told me to stay away from them. So far, the only normal one as far as I've seen is Harry. He seems perfectly lovely, if a bit small and shy for his age. How he could end up fine after being raised by _them," _she spit that word with more venom than Will had ever heard from his mother before, "I have no idea, I'm just glad he did."

""You really don't like them, do you, Helen." His dad said, surprised.

"Oh Brian, you _know_ how I feel about sycophants. You should have _seen _them when I first walked through the door. Ms. Dursley immediately fawned over my necklace as if the only thing I'm good for is the jewelry I'm wearing. And I swear that I saw her face change when she thought I wasn't looking. It looked like she wanted to snatch it right off of my neck. I'm never wearing something so expensive over to their place again. What was I saying? Oh, right. Anyway, as soon as I explained who I was, Mr. Dursley asked how much money I made. Like it was some sort of competition! His face was turning colors too, I was honestly afraid he was having a heart attack."

"You know, Will's tenth birthday is coming up." Dad said, thoughtfully.

"Don't distract me Brian, we can talk about that later." Mum replied.

"Sorry, sorry, go on," Dad chuckled, waving his hands in defeat.

His mum continued ranting and his dad nodded along as Will went back up the stairs. He could tell that they weren't going to talk about anything interesting after that. His mum and dad had a little ritual for his mum to de-stress after a long day. She'd tell him about it and he'd listen. Will didn't need to hear the play by play of his mother's meeting with the Dursleys, he could guess most of what went down. The only really important part he'd just caught the end of.

It was when he got back to his room that he was _really_ surprised. Harry was awake, and looking _right at him._

* * *

This wasn't good. Will paused at the door as Harry stared at him, eyes wide. He was standing near Will's sleeping body. It looked as if he'd been examining the glowing thread that attached Will's astral body to his real one. Will floated closer and Harry immediately jumped back and pressed himself against the wall. He was eyeing the door as if to make a break for it. Well. That wouldn't do, would it. Will didn't want him disturbing his parents and letting them find out about everything, did he? He gave the glowing cord a quick tug and was pulled back into his body at record speed. It was a bit like pressing the button on a tape measure, but it was a more violent way of entering his body.

Will slammed into his body and sat up gasping.

"It's okay, don't worry!" Will whisper-yelled to Harry, who was booking it to the door.

"_WHAT," _Harry whispered, probably freaking out, "The _bloody hell _was _that!_ _Nothing _about that was _okay." _But he had stopped and turned to face Will instead of leaving, so it was a start.

"It was just me!" Will whispered, "I can leave my body when I sleep and go wherever I want to. It's called Astral Projection."

Harry paused, a strange expression on his face, "Really?" He asked, "How'd you learn how to do that?"

That caused Will to pause. Harry believed him, just like that? "You believe me?" He asked, surprised.

"I decided to believe you," Harry said, "All you've done since I've met you is try to help me. Besides, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"Nope!" Will said, and meant it, "I'll never lie to you if I can help it."

Harry walked over and sat next to Will. "So," He said after a moment, "How'd you learn how to do that?"

"I don't know." Will said honestly, "It has something to do with my coma, I think." That was the truth, surprisingly enough. He _didn't_ know how he learned to astral project. Nothing his Grandma said had indicated that he'd be able to. And it _did_ have something to do with his coma, seeing as that was when he first inhabited this body. Will wouldn't lie if he could help it.

Harry scrunched up his face in confusion, "Coma?" He asked. Oh, right. Will hadn't told Harry about that yet.

"The reason I moved to this neighborhood and have to use a wheelchair is because I was in a coma for three months," Will confessed, "Apparently they found me unconscious on my way back from school one day, and I was brought to the hospital when they couldn't wake me up."

Harry winced in sympathy, "That's terrible." After a moment of pause, Harry tipped his head to the side, considering something. "Can I see you astral project again?" He asked finally.

"Oh! Um, sure." Will stuttered. This hadn't been the reaction he'd expected at all. "I need to be asleep to do it though." He lay down and covered himself in blankets again. "Uh, can you give me a couple minutes?" He asked, "It's kind of hard to fall asleep on command."

"Here," Harry said, and grabbed a book from the shelf, "I'll read to you." Will got comfortable, and Harry sat in the desk chair and opened the book.

He started to read, "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

As he read this, Will felt his eyes drift closed.

* * *

Will found himself floating above his body again, with Harry asleep at his bedside. He rolled his eyes fondly at Harry, he had wanted to see his astral form, but fell asleep before he could do it. Moving to wake Harry, Will found his arms passing right through him. Oh, right. Can't touch stuff in this form. Maybe this was a good time to learn how to talk in this form.

Harry, wake up.

Nope, nothing.

Harry, wake UP.

HARRY WAKE UP!

This wasn't working. Maybe he was thinking about this the wrong way. He had been pretending to have a mouth and make sound that way, but maybe it wasn't a physical sound. Maybe it was a _mental_ one. Will imagined a link between him and Harry, one that would allow thoughts to be passed back and forth, but keep things private as well. Only the messages they wanted to send would get through. Yeah, that would work. Keeping that picture in his mind, Will sent a message down the line.

{_Harry, wake up!_}

Harry jolted awake, knocking the book off the bed. He turned to look at Will's astral body and froze again. He squinted at Will.

"Is that you, Will?"

{_Yep, in the- well, not the flesh really, that's over there in bed,_}Will replied.

"You look different." Harry said, surprised.

{_What do you mean?_} Will asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I mean, before you were just a distortion in the air, something I could only see while you were moving. Now you look like a glowing stick figure." Harry replied, walking around to look at him from different angles. "How are you doing the thing where you look the same from all sides?"

{_I'm not sure,_} Will confessed, {_I think it's just something that happens in soul form. As far as I can tell, a soul isn't really in three dimensional space. It's just your brain trying to make sense of something that doesn't fit in three dimensions._}

"Hmm," Harry said, and Will wasn't really sure if Harry fully understood what he was trying to explain. Maybe nine was a little too young for this.

{_Anyway, did you see what you wanted?_} Will asked, gesturing with his pointy stick arms.

"You don't have any fingers," Harry noted.

{_I think I can if I want to, hold on a minute._} Will focused, looking down at his glowing wrist-daggers. It took some doing, but Will was able to split the end of his pointy arms into a reasonable approximation of hands.

"Did that hurt?" Harry asked, moving a little closer.

{_Nope! I'm fine._} Will said, {_If that's all, you should probably get back to bed._}

"Oh, right." Harry said, climbing back under the covers. "What about you?"

{_I'm already asleep, see?_} Will said, pointing.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "Never mind, just get back in your body, we have school tomorrow." He flopped back down and pulled the covers over himself.

{_Goodnight, Harry,_} Will said, before laying back down in his body, immediately falling asleep.

"Goodnight, Will." Harry softly replied, before rolling over to get some rest himself.


	6. Chapter 6, A Few Altercations

So the pace of the story starts to pick up in this chapter, let me know if you guys think we're moving too fast? Or too slow? Just right? Anyway, I'm thinking there's going to be a sort of time jump (Well, more of a skimming ahead) next chapter to Will's eleventh birthday, when his letter arrives. Let me know what you guys think. Well, if nobody does, I'll keep posting whatever I feel like writing, so there's no real loss on my end. Hopefully you guys will like it. This chapter and the next, I mean. Never mind, I'll be quiet now.

* * *

It happened at school the next week. Will didn't know why, but Dudley was looking to make his and Harry's lives hell. Well, that's not exactly true, Will knew he didn't really need a reason to bother Harry, but him going after Will just as hard was new. They were relatively safe in class, though. The worst Will got was spitballs to the back of the head, but poor Harry got chewing gum in his hair. They'd managed to get the worst of it out in the bathroom, but they'd still had to cut some of his hair off. It was a Tuesday, too, so Harry had to go home with the Dursleys that day.

Will wasn't sure what to expect the next day, but he'd been surprised when Harry had come in with all of his hair grown back. When he talked to Harry about it, apparently his aunt had taken it as her cue to cut off all of his hair, except a fringe at the front. Harry was just as surprised as Will was that it was back. It mysteriously grew overnight. Dudley was furious. He probably wanted to see everyone's reaction to Harry's horrible haircut, and Will wouldn't be surprised if he threw a tantrum over it. He just wasn't expecting what form the tantrum would take.

During lunch, Dudley and his gang approached them.

"Hey, Freaks!" He said, smirking at them, "Why do you even bother coming here? No one wants you here, get lost!"

This was pretty much expected, what Will wasn't expecting was how angry he was. It was actually a little scary. Dudley was quite a bit bigger than them and could really hurt them if he tried.

Will tried to remain calm, "It's school, we're required to go, remember?"

"Why don't you require this!" Dudley yelled, and before Will could say something like, 'That doesn't even make any sense,' he saw the world tipping over onto its side. Or was that him? There was a loud thud, and the next thing he was aware of, there was a pain on his head, ringing in his ears, and blood in his mouth. Will did his best to sit up, but everything was kind of wobbly. His chair was on its side and the inside of his cheek hurt.

He must have hit his head when he fell, and bitten the inside of his cheek. The cheek wound wasn't so bad, just a bit of blood. Will just hoped he didn't have a concussion. He looked up to see the Gym Teacher Mr. Roberts looming over them. To one side there was Dudley, who was sitting on his arse and crying but looked completely fine, and to the other was Harry, who had what looked like the beginnings of a black eye. The rest of Dudley's crew had scattered, obviously not wanting to get involved with whatever was happening. Mr. Roberts was talking, but the ringing made it hard for Will to hear him. Mechanically, he got up and turned his chair upright so he could sit in it again. As he sat down, He saw Dudley get up, a surprised look on his face.

"He can walk!" Dudley cried, pointing to Will as if he'd done something wrong.

"That's enough out of you," Mr. Roberts said, lifting him by his arm. "Potter, get Nelson and yourself to the Nurse's Office, I'll be taking Dursley to the Principal's Office." He hauled Dudley away, who was whining the whole way.

Harry started wheeling Will (who was still kind of woozy) to the Nurse's office, but they heard someone call out to them.

"Hey, it's them." Turning back to look, Will could see it was Malcolm and the rest of Dudley's goons.

"You guys got Dud in trouble, so we're gonna make you pay for it." Malcolm said, and the other guys all laughed. It was actually really annoying, Piers Polkiss was making an especially nasally sort of wheezing noise that Will supposed could be called a laugh. All of a sudden, His wheelchair turned around and started heading the other way. Looking back, he could see Harry pushing him as fast as he could while running to find a teacher.

"Harry, slow down!" Will said, shrieking a bit as they turned a corner. He'd never gone this fast before, it wasn't exactly safe. Looking up, he saw a look of terror like he'd never seen on Harry's face before, and all of a sudden there was a squeezing feeling like he'd been pulled through the eye of a needle, and he landed back on solid ground as if falling from a small height. A breeze flitted Will's hair around, but he couldn't enjoy it because he was too busy trying not to puke. That was not a sensation he'd like to experience again.

Harry wasn't doing much better, he was kneeling on the ground and taking deep breaths. Looking around, Will realized they'd somehow ended up on the school roof.

"What happened?" He asked Harry, not exactly sure what to say. Had they just apparated? Without getting splinched? On accident? Will was pretty sure it wasn't him, so it must have been Harry.

"You mean, you didn't do this?" Harry asked, confused.

"Nope! Wasn't me!" Will said, "I'm pretty sure of that. I was too busy wishing for you to slow down. What were you thinking about?"

Harry had a pensive look on his face. "I was wishing we were anywhere else than where we were at that moment. Do you think it could have been me?"

"Yep! Pretty sure!" Will grinned, "It had to have been one of us, and it wasn't me so that just leaves you!"

Harry rolled backwards so that he was sitting on the ground, and looked around in something close to awe. "I always thought I was completely ordinary," He said softly. "How'd I do that?"

"Hmm," Will said, "It probably has something to do with what you were thinking when it happened." Harry nodded, so he continued, "Maybe it was how you were feeling as well. You wanted so desperately to be somewhere else, that suddenly you were!" He turned to look at Harry, "Does that sound about right?"

Will watched Harry as he mulled it over. He was a little out of his depth here. There were a lot of theories about the theoreticals of magic that fans had come up with, but not many actual hard facts in the books. When it came to the plot, Will had it down pat, but the nitty gritty everyday stuff, a lot of it was left out.

"I think you're right," Harry eventually said, "It's probably tied to emotion." For a moment the boys sat there looking at each other, thinking about what they'd just experienced. Suddenly Harry seemed to remember where they were. "We're going to need to get down from here. I've got to get you to the nurse. Head wounds can be really bad." Will wondered if Harry spoke from personal experience.

"And get your eye checked." Will reminded him. Harry looked like he'd actually forgotten about that. He put up a hand to touch it and hissed, pulling his hand away again.

"Yeah, that's a good idea too." Harry chuckled. "Come on, there's a door over there." He pointed to a door leading to a staircase to a lower floor. "I'll carry your chair down the stairs, okay?"

Will sighed, but agreed. Unfortunately the door was locked, so they were trapped. After some screaming and hollering down towards the ground, they managed to get a student's attention who ran and got a teacher. A couple minutes and a few lectures later, they were waiting in front of the Principal's office. With Dudley. The only good thing about this situation was that Dudley refused to even look at them.

The Principal had apparently called their parents. Dudley's had already arrived and were currently meeting with the Principal. There was a bit of yelling at first, but it was fuzzy and indistinct. Will wondered if there was some sort of soundproofing in the office, so that most sound wouldn't travel outside the walls.

A half hour later of sitting quietly and not being able to talk without getting a glare and a shush from the school's secretary, Will's mum arrived. She took one look at them and squared her shoulders. It felt like the cavalry had arrived. She asked them what happened, and after a quick explanation she rounded on the secretary.

"Why didn't you take them to the nurse first?" She asked, deceptively calm. It was the sort of calm that came before a storm.

"The Principal said that if they can get up on the roof of the building, they obviously don't need to see the nurse." the secretary said rather snootily, completely misreading the look on mum's face.

"Okay," Mum said in her sweetest voice, uh oh. "Let me see if I've got this right. Children under your care had gotten in a scrape, and instead of having an adult take them to the nurse, you send them off on their own."

The secretary seemed to have realized her error, and tried to speak up, politely this time, "Um, Ma'am, I'm sure-"

"DON'T… interrupt me." Uh oh, that was his mum's dangerous look, the one that almost made him pee his pants every time he saw it directed at him. It was kind of interesting to see it directed at someone else though.

She switched back to sweet, "When they get lost and end up on the roof, locked out, instead of helping them find the nurse's office, you give them a lecture and make them WAIT a half an hour, when the whole POINT of them going to the nurse's office was to make sure one of them didn't have a CONCUSSION in the FIRST PLACE!?" Wow, Will had never seen her this upset.

"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to-"

"And I'm going to need to speak to the Principal. Now."

"He meeting with the other parent right now-"

"Good! We can all get things straightened out together. I'm sure this was just a big misunderstanding. You are going to take these two boys to the nurse's office." With a glare, mum turned away from the secretary.

Wiping away an imaginary wrinkle in her pantsuit, mum walked right into the Principal's office with a dramatic throwing open of the door.

"Principal Murphy, I'm here as you requested. How can I help you today?" Mum was using her sweet voice again as the doors shut behind her. The secretary herded the two boys to the nurse's office, and the nice lady nurse checked them over, let them know that Will didn't have a concussion, and got an ice pack for Harry's eye. Will's cheek had stopped bleeding as well, and the nurse said it wouldn't need stitches. While this was happening, however, Will was frantically listening, trying to hear what was going on in the Principal's office.

It was quiet for a while, as Will assumed the Principal was laying out everything that happened. Some rumbling which was probably Vernon yelling happened next, and it was met with some shouting that Will guessed must be his mum. She didn't take threats sitting down. Then things got even louder with another voice that must be the Principal this time. Will heard his mum clearly yell, "HE'S IN A WHEELCHAIR! HE CAN'T WALK UP A FLIGHT OF STAIRS WITHOUT GETTING WINDED, HOW THE BLOODY HELL CAN YOU THINK HE CLIMBED UP THE SIDE OF A BUILDING!?" Which he bet most of Little Whinging heard.

By the time Will and Harry were back outside the Principal's office,it had mostly quieted down. There were some more indistinct noises, a pause of silence, a loud thud, and the doors flew open again.

Vernon Dursley walked out, redder than a tomato. "Dudley," He growled out, "We're leaving. Let's go." Dudley hopped up and gathered his stuff, following his father. At the door Vernon stopped, and smirked at Harry, "We'll see you later, boy." And left, with Dudley stopping to make faces at Harry before following his father out.

Will's mum was out next, a few fly-aways had escaped her hair-bun. She looked at the two boys and smiled. "You two will be coming home with me tonight. Is that alright?" She asked, looking at Harry.

Harry nodded, smiling. Mum shepherded them to the car as she filled them in.

"Now, I'm afraid that the three of you are suspended for a week. Dudley for pushing Will and punching Harry, Harry for pushing Dudley and being on the roof, and Will for running over Dudley's foot and being on the roof."

"I didn't run over his foot though." Will muttered, and mum's eyes softened.

"I know. That sounded like an excuse to me too, but Dudley had a dislocated toe somehow, and said it was because of you." Probably kicked a wall until he hurt himself, just to use that excuse, Will thought.

Mum went on, "Vernon wanted the two of you punished because of that, The Principal wanted the two of you because using violence and going on the roof is against the rules, and I had to get them to agree to punish Dudley at all, seeing as he's the one who started it. Apparently the Principal and Vernon are old friends, so I had to threaten legal action to get them to agree. Unfortunately it's a he-said-she-said situation. Hearsay isn't enough to make informed decisions, so all I could get them to agree to was an equal punishment for all of you." Will bet that Dudley would be spoiled that whole week.

"That's not fair!" Harry burst out, flushing with emotion.

"I know, sweetie, I know." Mum said, and folded Harry into a hug. Harry froze for a minute, but relaxed and started shaking like he was crying. There were no tears though. Mum rubbed his back like she would do for Will when he had a bad dream, and Harry calmed down after a minute.

"Sometimes unfair things happen in this world, and all we can really do is struggle through them." Mum said as she let him go, "At times like those it's best that we turn to our family and friends for support and guidance. I'll be there for you if you need it, and I hope you'll be there for me too, okay?" she crouched down a little more to look him in the eyes, and he blushed and looked away, but nodded.

Will rolled up to Harry and threw an arm around his shoulder. It was kind of a surprise when Harry didn't flinch away.

"I'll be there for you too, okay?" Will added, smiling at Harry.

"Thanks Will, me too." Harry nodded, smiling back at him.

On the short car ride home, they gave mum a more in depth explanation about what had happened that day. "We didn't mean to go on the roof," Will explained, "It just happened. One minute we were in the hallway, the next-"

Mum interrupted him, "I know. Some of the things I've seen over the years of raising you three kids, well let's just say I believe you."

"So!" She said, changing the subject, "We have a free week, and I've already decided what to do with it. We'll take a day or two to relax and pack, and then we'll take a mini vacation to the beach! Sound fun? We can even pull your siblings out of school if it's just for a couple 'll be having Harry for the whole week as well, so you'll be coming with us too, and Will, your tenth birthday is this week, so that'll be fun as well!"

Will gave a little cheer as he and Harry shared a look of excitement. Maybe this suspension thing wouldn't be so bad after all!

* * *

Ugh, I need to stop the whole stream of consciousness writing I've been doing. There's no place to put line breaks in this chapter!


	7. Chapter 7, A Few Celebrations

Do you guys want to see some other points of view? I've been writing so far from Will's point of view, but I could do Harry's or someone else's. I could also do a side story where there are other points of view for chapters I've already written, like I could write exactly what went down in the Principal's office from mum's point of view. That kind of thing.

* * *

The mini-vacation to the beach was fun. Will, his brother, and Harry all got matching sunburns on their shoulders. Apparently Harry had never even seen the ocean before. How can you live on an island and have never gone to the beach before? The Dursleys, that's how. Will's tenth birthday was fun as well. It was the seventeenth of May, the sun was shining all day, and Will got all of the things he asked for. Mostly books, but there were some toys and games as well. Harry seemed just as excited about it as Will was, but he'd probably never been invited to a birthday party before.

Once their suspension was finished Harry and Will headed back to school, somewhat worried about Dudley's retaliation. Harry wasn't looking forward to going back to the Dursleys, either. On one of his astral projection snooping trips, Will overheard his parents talking about it.

"I just wish we could take him for the whole week." Dad was saying. He and Harry got along very well, seeing as Harry was willing to listen to dad's sports rants and watch the games with him. The only others willing to do that were mum (because she loved him, not for any real interest in sports) and his sister Alice (who was as wild about sports as dad was, so she didn't count). Will had never really cared about sports, and his brother Liam was in the same boat.

"It's not for a lack of trying," Mum added, "I've been trying to obtain custody, but someone wants him to stay with the Dursleys so badly that they're willing to spend the time to make sure it doesn't happen. You have no idea the number of legal hoops I've been having to jump through, just to be told that the paperwork was lost, or I missed some key piece of info that means I have to start all over again. I swear, one time a woman told me, point blank, that she'd never seen me before, when I know I spoke to her just the other day. There's no way these are all accidents. Who would want a child to stay with their abusers? I just don't understand!" Mum cried, and dad reached an arm around her to comfort her.

"We just have to focus on what we can do, instead of what we can't." Dad said, "We can be there for Harry, and keep our eyes on the Dursleys. As long as we're watching, they can't hurt him."

"There's more than one kind of hurt, Brian! What about the emotional damage? The psychological? I get that those are harder to prove, but they still hurt. That child is hurting, and there's nothing we can do!" She cried, and as dad moved to comfort her again, Will flew back upstairs to fill Harry in on what he'd heard.

* * *

Harry had been distressed to learn that he'd have to continue to stay with the Dursleys part of the week for the foreseeable future, but had been touched to hear how hard they'd been trying to help him. He gave Will's mum a hug for the first time that morning.

School actually went better than expected. Will wasn't sure why, but Dudley and his gang stayed out of Will and Harry's way. Malcolm shot them nervous glances all throughout class, and bolted as soon as the teacher dismissed them. That suited Will just fine, good riddance.

Things fell into a routine after that. Sundays were the best, with the entirety of the day spent at Will's house, goofing off and having fun. Mondays and Thursdays would start with Harry at Will's, and end with him back with the Dursleys. Harry and Will would spend as much of the time after school as possible at the library, and only around dinner time would Harry head to Number 4. It always hurt to see Harry wave goodbye during these moments.

Tuesdays and Fridays were hard as well, seeing Harry so unhappy. Wednesdays and Saturdays were the opposite of Mondays and Thursdays. They started at the Dursleys and ended at the Nelsons. Seeing as Saturdays were the only day the Dursleys had him that wasn't a school day, that was when they had him doing all of his chores. But they had realized that with Will's mum and dad watching, they couldn't overload him with work. (Will was also pretty sure they had moved Harry into Dudley's second bedroom, if the broken greenhouse window was anything to go by. He just hoped the tortoise was okay.)

They still had him doing some chores though, usually washing dishes and dusting shelves, but it was somewhat satisfying to see Petunia on her hands and knees, pulling weeds. Will and Harry had a laugh when Harry mentioned how much his aunt detested dirt. It was hopefully a lesson the Dursleys would remember, that if you want something, you'll have to work for it. Even Dudley had to do chores now, although he only did them halfheartedly so someone else would have to do it again.

Soon the school year ended, and summer break had arrived. This was roughly when Will, after weeks of frustrating physical therapy sessions Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, was finally able to put away his wheelchair. They'd had a little party about that. This was also about the time Harry and Will had an interesting conversation.

* * *

"Can you teach me?" Harry asked one night when they were in bed. By this point mum and dad had bought a little trundle bed that slid under Will's bed during the daytime for Harry to sleep on. Mum and dad were working on a more permanent solution, but that was a surprise for later.

"Wuzzat?" Will asked, half asleep.

"Never mind, I'll let you sleep." Harry said, seemingly nervous.

"No," Will said, more awake now, "It's okay, what did you say?"

"I was wondering, have been for a while now," Harry began hesitantly, "Can you teach me to astral project too?"

Will sat up, pondering Harry's question. Could he teach someone else to do it? Magic was probably required to astral project, Will wouldn't want to try without it. But was it even possible?

"I don't know?" He answered honestly, "I might be able to, I have a couple ideas I could try, but it might be dangerous, you know?"

"I'd still like to try, if you're willing." Harry said seriously. If he knew the risks, and was still willing, Will was willing to try.

"Okay," Will nodded.

So they added that to their daily routine as well. Every night Harry slept over, after Will's parents had tucked them in, they'd sit on Will's bed and try to get Harry to astral project. It wasn't going well. Harry's soul stayed stubbornly in his body, seemingly no matter what they did.

While they were distracted with that, mum and dad were distracted with their own secret project. They were able to keep the kids distracted with moving Will's room from the first floor to the second. He'd miss seeing the cloud paintings every day, but his dad was apparently putting an office in there, and would be keeping the paint already on the walls (for sentimental reasons, probably.)

Will hadn't even noticed they were up to something, what with preparing for Harry's Birthday. As far as he was aware, Harry wasn't expecting anything, but Will still wanted to give Harry his first real birthday party that he could remember. They weren't inviting anyone else, just Will's family and Harry, but it should still be fun. Harry's birthday unfortunately fell on a Tuesday this year, so they had decided to celebrate the day after. Harry was surprised when they told him, not because they weren't celebrating on his actual birthday, but that they were celebrating it at all.

The party ended up going really well. Harry had a blast as far as Will could tell, but the creme of the crop was when mum and dad showed them what they'd been sneakily working on. It was a bedroom for Harry. Mum and dad sat them down and told them that they'd wanted to make a place that was a safe space for Harry. His own private room that he could do whatever he wanted with.

Harry had been so thankful he'd actually said, "I've never had a place that felt like home before." Will's smile cracked at that. Here's hoping that him saying that didn't break the wards on Privet Drive!

* * *

Everything seemed to be going really well, the only thing that wasn't was getting Harry to astral project. It wasn't until some time in September, after the new school year started, that they had their breakthrough.

Will had been sitting across from Harry on the bed, as Harry scrunched up his face, trying to astral project again.

"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way." Will thought out loud.

Harry let out the breath he'd been holding and relaxed, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Will replied, "We've been trying to get you to do it on your own, but maybe I can help you out a bit."

"Okay," Harry turned to look at him, "What should we do then?"

"Go to sleep," Will said, "I'll see if I can help you externally."

"We tried that already," Harry reminded, "You weren't able to do that."

"While I was awake, yes," Will said, "But I'm going to go to sleep too this time."

"Oh," Harry considered, "That might work, do you have an idea?"

"The start of one, anyway." Will replied, "Go jump in bed. We'll see if it works."

As Harry raced out of the room, Will hopped in bed, throwing the covers over himself. It was kind of late, so it wasn't as hard to fall asleep as usual.

As soon as he was asleep, Will drifted over to Harry's room. Harry was asleep on the bed, and as Will drifted nearer he didn't stir.

The idea Will had been toying with was that connection he'd formed with Harry so they could communicate. It was a sort of bond, right? Maybe Will could use that.

Will floated above Harry, thinking. He didn't want to mess this up. What if somehow he disconnected Harry's soul from his body, and killed him accidentally? Carefully, Will pictured his bond with Harry. It had strengthened over time and became almost solid, well, as solid as an ephemeral bond can be anyhow. Mentally grabbing a hold of it, Will gave it a little tug. Harry seemed to shudder in bed for a moment, then laid still again. Hmm, maybe that wasn't enough. Being careful, he didn't want to pull Harry's soul all the way out, just give it the right idea, Will pulled a little harder. Harry shot up in bed, not his body, but his soul. To Will it looked sort of funny, a glowing Harry-shape half in and half out of his body. He couldn't help but laugh a little.

Soul-Harry's eyes shot open, and he looked down at himself. Looking back up, he saw Will floating above him, chuckling. He opened his mouth, and shook his hand at Will, but even though his lips were moving, there wasn't any sound coming out.

{You've got to send me the message mentally,} Will said, still chuckling.

It only took a moment for Harry to figure it out, {Ha ha, you're a riot. Now help me out here. I think I'm stuck.}

{Sorry, but I'm pretty sure you've got to figure this part out on your own,} Will apologized, {I don't want to accidentally completely separate you from your body. Just remember to leave a link to your body before you leave it, okay?}

Soul-Harry nodded, and with some wriggling, managed to slip free, a glowing cord still attaching him to his sleeping body. Good, Will was worried about that.

{Hmm, so why do I look like myself still, and you look like that?} Harry asked, patting himself down. Thankfully, he was still wearing his pajamas, even in soul form. Will guessed that whatever you went to sleep in, is what your soul would be wearing. That made as much sense as anything else that had happened to him so far. Well, whatever.

{Will?} Harry said, trying to get his attention.

{Oh! Sorry, I was thinking.} Will replied. {As for your question…} Will just shrugged.

Harry floated around the room a bit, before turning to Will, {Are your emotions always this faint when astral projecting?}

{Yeah,} Will nodded, {Weird, right? Anyway, want to go exploring a bit? As far as I can tell, normal people can't see us like this.}

{Sure, sounds interesting.} Harry replied, and the two headed through the wall outside.

* * *

The next big event in the boys' lives was the Holiday season. Harry had never gotten to celebrate Halloween and Christmas before, so he took to the traditions with gusto.

It wasn't until May 1991 that things finally started moving again. May tenth, seven days before Will's eleventh birthday, there was a knock on the front door.


	8. Chapter 8, An 'Unexpected' Visitor

It was after school on a Friday when the knocking happened. Will was the one to answer the door, opening it to see a woman in a modest dress standing outside. She had black hair put up into a bun and a somewhat severe expression. He immediately guessed that this was Professor Mcgonagall.

"Can I help you?" Will said hesitantly, nervous about what was about to happen.

"Yes you can," Professor Mcgonagall said stiffly, "Are your parents home?"

"My dad is, but my mum won't be for a few hours," Will replied, "Do you want me to get him for you?"

"That would be preferable, yes." Mcgonagall nodded, "May I come inside while you do? I have some important information for you and your family."

Will wasn't really supposed to let strangers into the house, but Mcgonagall wasn't really a stranger, was she? Plus she could be trusted. Will nodded and led her to the living room and, once she was seated, went to get his father.

His dad was perplexed, not having expected any visitors today, and went to join Mcgonagall in the living room, with Will trailing behind.

As dad entered, Mcgonagall stood up to greet him. "It's nice to meet you," She said, sticking out her hand for him to shake, which dad did, "I'm Minerva Mcgonagall, and I'm here to offer an opportunity for an exclusive type of education for your son William."

"Brian Nelson," His dad said, introducing himself, "What's all this about then? Some sort of private school?"

"Can I please have your promise to remain calm for the duration of our conversation?" Minerva inquired, causing dad's eyebrows to raise.

"Sure, I'll do my best." Dad replied, "Now can you explain what this is about?"

Mcgonagall got up and turned to look out one of the windows, "Have there been any strange occurrences over the course of your children's lives?" She asked, "Something you couldn't explain away with science and tricks of the light?"

Dad chuckled, "If you're here to offer an explanation for those I'd love to hear them. They've been stumping my wife and I for years now."

Minerva turned around again, "That is why I'm here, Mr. Nelson, and to offer your son a spot in the student body of an exclusive and very special boarding school." She looked at Will, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, "Your son here, and according to the records I've read, your other children as well, have a very special gift. The gift of magic."

Dad paused for a moment, before shaking his head, "Looks like Helen wins that argument," he muttered, before straightening his spine and speaking in a louder voice, "I've always known that my children were special, I just wasn't expecting how special they'd turn out to be in the beginning. Anyway, exactly what kind of opportunity are you offering Will?"

Mcgonagall seemed a little caught off guard, but hid it quickly, "You're taking this remarkably well, I must say. Most parents put up at least a token argument."

"To be honest, we've been hoping something like this would happen for a while now," Dad replied, "Just so we could finally have some sort of explanation for all of this."

"Well, it's somewhat refreshing." She replied, then pulled out an envelope from the folds in her dress, "Everything you need to know is written in this letter, but for Muggleborn students such as your son, it's typically best to have a home visit attached to help smooth things over." She handed the letter to dad and sat primly back down in an armchair.

Dad read the front of the letter, then turned the envelope over to see the wax seal on the back. "Muggleborn?" He asked, while he slid a finger between the envelope and the wax to pop the letter open.

"Children born to non-magical parents," Mcgonagall explained, "Muggle is the term we use to speak of non-magical people, therefore muggle-born."

"Does being muggleborn happen often?" Will asked, while dad read the letter.

Mcgonagall paused before saying, "More often than you'd expect, actually. We're a pretty small community to start with, and it ends up being about twenty percent. The rest are children that come with varying degrees of magic in their family. It's about twenty percent of families that have lived completely magical lives for generations. We call those sorts of witches and wizards Purebloods."

Will nodded. That was actually pretty interesting, why was that kind of stuff never mentioned in the books? Well, it was probably a bit dry for a children's book series.

Once dad had finished reading the letter, he handed it to Will. The front of the envelope was as expected,

Mr. W. Nelson

The Second Bedroom to the Right

7 Magnolia Crescent

Little Whinging

Surrey

Turning to the letter, he saw the Hogwarts crest, and under it Will read,

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chief Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Nelson,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term starts September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva Mcgonagall

Deputy Headmistress

It was a strange feeling, getting something you've wanted for so long. Both nervousness and excitement. Maybe he should start a scrapbook, this was definitely a keeper.

At this point, dad was reading the attached list of books and equipment with a slight frown on his face.

Will turned to the Professor, who was waiting with a small smile on her face. "We don't have an owl." He informed her.

"That's part of the reason I'm here." She cleared her throat and once she was sure she had both of their attention, she continued, "Tomorrow I will return, so you can have some time to think it over. If you should decide to attend Hogwarts, please clear your whole day, as we'll be making a trip to show you all where you can purchase all of the equipment you'll need for classes."

Dad looked at Will, "Tomorrow Will is going to have a friend over all day, so-"

Mcgonagall cut in, "That won't work then. One of the rules of our society is that no one outside of the immediate family is allowed to know about magic. How about the next day?"

"He's staying the whole weekend," Will cut in, "But I'm pretty sure he's magical too."

"Unfortunately, it's against the law to inform anyone of their magical status until they or a sibling get their Hogwarts acceptance letter." Mcgonagall informed them. Will was bummed. He had been looking forward to them shopping at Diagon Alley together. Thinking about it, he supposed he could tell Mcgonagall that the friend they were talking about was Harry Potter, but wasn't sure how she'd react. He wanted to keep things as close to the books as possible for now.

"Don't worry," Dad said, quieting Will with a look, "We won't tell if it's that important. How about Monday?"

Mcgonagall agreed, and Dad and her stood up and shook hands again. It seemed like she was about to leave, but she stopped and turned back to them.

"I do have permission to be casting spells in a muggle area, just in case you were hard to convince. It's standard for these meetings. Would you like to see some magic before I go?" She asked.

Will and his dad looked at each other before nodding to her. She let a small smile appear on her face, then looked around the room. Stepping over to the bureau, she pointed to his mum's tea set.

"Do you mind if I cast a spell on this? I'll turn it back when I'm done," She asked, pointing to the teapot.

"Sure, go for it," Dad nodded, and Mcgonagall pulled her wand out of her sleeve. Pointing her wand at the teapot, she concentrated for a moment. The Teapot seemed to almost fold in on itself for a second before a tortoise was standing in its place.

Dad's jaw dropped. Moving over, he poked at the tortoise, pulling his hand back quickly when it moved.

"Now, Nonverbal spellcasting doesn't start until sixth year, " Mcgonagall explained, "But this is one of the spells taught in my class, Transfiguration. I believe it's also on the end of year test for third years. Transfiguration is the art of turning one thing into another."

She waved her wand again, and the tortoise was a teapot again.

Giving a small smile, she said, "I hope to see you in my class this year, Mr. Nelson," to Will before walking out the door.

Dad was still staring at the teapot. Will hesitantly approached him, "Dad, are you alright?"

Giving himself a little shake, Dad turned to Will, "I was just surprised, son. I didn't expect that."

"I thought you'd seen us do strange things before?" Will asked.

"Yes, things moving around on their own accord like levitating toys or rattling plates, or the power going out randomly, but this was something else!" His dad still seemed a little overwhelmed. "Wait until your mother hears about this one!" Dad said, and started chuckling.

Will relaxed. He had thought for a moment his dad was afraid, but apparently that wasn't the case.

* * *

Pretty soon after that, his mother arrived home from work. Dad pulled her into his office and, Will assumed, filled her in on the day's events. After a bit, his mum and dad came out to talk to him.

"I wish I could have seen the tortoise for myself," Mum said, shaking her head.

"Do you not believe us?" Will asked hesitantly.

"No, I do, it just sounds like an amazing experience." Mum replied, somewhat frustrated.

"Well, maybe someday I could learn how to do that and show you." Will said, letting a bit of longing into his voice.

Mum and dad stopped, and looked at Will, "Do you want to go?" Dad asked.

"I do!" Will almost yelled, excited, "Please let me go!" He threw on the puppy dog eyes for maximum damage.

"Alright! Alright, put those eyes away young man," Mum laughed, waving her hands, "There's a lot to consider here, but I'll promise you that we won't throw the idea away out of hand." Will was nervous. He had no idea what happened to muggleborns who decided not to go to Hogwarts, and had no desire to find out.

"It's just," Will began, "It would be wonderful to finally get a hold on these incidents. It's kind of scary when they happen, and I think learning how to control it is important, right?"

Mum and dad looked at each other, "But you've never attended a boarding school before," Mum began, "You've never been away from us for such an extended period of time, I'm a little worried about how you'll do in a situation like that."

"We all have to grow up sometime," Will shrugged. "I'm almost eleven now, I'd be transferring schools anyway. And hey! Harry will be going to Hogwarts too!"

Mum looked away, a little teary eyed. "That's true. It seems like every time I turn away from you, you mature more and more," suddenly, she pulled him in for a hug. "You're almost eleven! How that happened so fast, I have no idea."

She gave him a squeeze, then pulled away, "You're sure Harry is going too?" She asked, and when he nodded, she went on, "Okay, you can go. But only if you promise to take care of each other."

"Yes!" Will shouted, jumping for joy.

"What were you saying about maturity, Hun?" Dad asked mum, as they watched Will jump around the room.

* * *

After a fun weekend with Harry, where his parents were watching him very closely to make sure Will didn't tell him anything (stupid laws), Will and his parents got ready for their trip with Mcgonagall.

It didn't take long for her to arrive.

Mum opened the door this time, and after the introductions were out of the way, the Professor sat them down.

"Have you come to a decision?" She asked.

Mum and dad looked at each other, "We have, Mrs. Mcgonagall. We'd like for Will to attend."

"That's wonderful news," Mcgonagall said, "And I hope you all cleared your schedules like I asked?" She raised an eyebrow.

"We have," Mum said, "We were just wondering where we were going?"

"The Leaky Cauldron, on Charing-Cross Road." the Professor replied, "It's invisible to muggles, so you'll need Will's help to get inside. I'll be meeting you there."

"That's not too far," Dad replied, looking at mum, "About a half hour by train, I'd think?"

"Alright, I'll see you there." Mcgonagall said, and with a little mischievous smile, turned on the spot and vanished with a pop.

Mum was barely surprised. "Well, let's get going then." Apparently apparition wasn't as impressive as transfiguration. Or maybe his parents were getting desensitized to it? Well, either way, they'd surely be impressed by Diagon Alley.

* * *

Next chapter should be Diagon Alley, up to Harry getting his letter, if I can squeeze it in.


	9. Chapter 9, A Day Trip

My longest chapter yet, and it took forever to write. Tell me what you guys think! I try to make each chapter at least two thousand words long. This one got away from me though.

* * *

Arriving at Charing Cross road, it took all of a few minutes to pick out the Leaky Cauldron. Grabbing his parents hands, Will pulled them to the door. Pushing the door open with his hip, he pulled them inside.

As soon as mum had her bearings again, she looked around the bar. Her facial expression told Will she was not impressed. "Are you sure we've got the right place? This looks more like some kind of magical pub, rather than a shop."

Will just pointed to Professor Mcgonagall as she approached them.

"Our destination is just through here," Mcgonagall said, pointing towards the back of the pub.

"Um, I'm not sure if-" Mum hesitated, obviously having second thoughts. Will grabbed her hand again.

"Come on, let's go!" Will said, pulling his mum towards the back. Dad and Mcgonagall followed, though Mcgonagall turned to nod at someone behind the bar as she passed (probably Tom).

Out the back door and into the alley, Will stopped, waiting for Mcgonagall. He didn't have a wand, after all. Mum was looking even less impressed. Dad joined them a moment later.

Mcgonagall strode right past Will, mum, and dad, turning to face them once she was standing next to one of the trash bins. "You see this bin right here? You need to tap this brick above it three times with a wand. That's one of the things we'll be picking up today, so if you need to you'll be able to get into Diagon Alley by yourselves next time."

"Diagon Alley?" Dad said, sounding out the words.

"Yes," Mcgonagall said, tapping the brick with her wand, and after the third tap, the wall folded in on itself to reveal Diagon Alley. Oh, the movies didn't do it justice. It was much more impressive than that. The sights and sounds were bright and bold, true, but a movie couldn't capture the real feel of the place. The buzz of magic, the somewhat discordant smells, it was a brilliant, colorful cornucopia for the senses. Will thought he might cry.

"You alright?" Mum asked, concerned. Will nodded.

"It just sort of hit me that this was actually real. I get to experience something like this, it's a world where I will fit in." Hearing that, mum was a little teary herself.

"This way please," Mcgonagall said, a few steps ahead now, "Our first stop is at Gringotts Bank for some currency conversion."

Inside the bank, Mcgonagall had explained the coin system that wizards used, and the value of each coin. She also explained the difference in value compared to muggle money. Will had never been good at math, so he let his parents take care of it. He'd figure it out later.

What had bothered him though was the stares he'd gotten from the goblins. They hadn't been obvious about it, but Will hand caught multiple different bank teller goblins looking at him. When he'd waved, all of them had turned away, as if they hadn't been staring at him at all. Was this normal for goblins?

* * *

Once his parents were done, they left the bank and went to get his uniform. While he was getting fitted, his dad went to the Apothecary they'd passed on the way, and his mum went to look at cauldrons with Mcgonagall.

Standing on the stool, and feeling a bit self-conscious while being measured, Will didn't notice someone else enter the shop.

"Hop up on the stool now, go on dear!" Madame Malkin said through a mouthful of pins, though why she needed to do that he had no idea, "I'll be with you in a minute."

Will turned his head to see a round faced boy with blonde hair standing awkwardly on the other stool.

"Hogwarts too?" He asked, before Madame Malkin moved him back into position with a "Don't move now, that's right. We're almost done."

"Oh! Uh, yes," The other boy (maybe Neville?) said, obviously nervous, for some reason.

"Nice! I hope we're in the same house! I'm hoping for Gryffindor, what about you?" He'd gotten the house explanation on the way to Madame Malkin's.

"I'm just glad I'm allowed to go," The boy (probably Neville.) said, "For the longest time, they weren't sure if I had enough magic to attend Hogwarts at all. I'll probably end up in Hufflepuff."

"Hufflepuff is a perfectly good house!" Will said, smiling, "But I wouldn't sell yourself short, you might surprise yourself."

"That's you done, dear." Madame Malkin said, straightening up, before turning to the other boy (definitely Neville.) "Sorry about the wait, my assistant has the day off today, some sort of potions accident. I just hope everyone's alright."

"I'll see you at Hogwarts then," Will said, smiling, "What's your name? I'm Will Nelson."

"Neville L-Longbottom." He stuttered, but managed to return the smile. Will waved and, after picking up his purchases, trotted off, exiting the store. He saw Professor Mcgonagall standing next to an intimidating looking woman with an entire vulture on her hat. His mum stood nearby, an awkward expression on her face.

"-All I'm saying is that there's a reason there's the saying,'The Wand chooses the Wizard.'" Mcgonagall was apparently in the middle of a 'disagreement' with whom Will assumed was Neville's Grandmother.

"His father's wand should work perfectly well for him, if he's anything like his father." She replied in a rather trite tone.

"But you just said that it didn't work very well for him!" Mcgonagall burst out, "Do you want his schoolwork to suffer because he can't get his wand to cooperate?"

"His father would have-"

"He's not Frank, Augusta, he's his own person!" Mcgonagall took a deep breath and changed tactics. "Augusta, you know that forcing Neville to be a clone of his father will only make him unhappy. You know that, right?"

Neville's grandmother sighed and looked away, "I know, it's just been difficult recently. For the longest time I had hope that Frank and Alice-"

"I know." Mcgonagall nodded, "How about this, you take Neville home, have a dram, relax, and I'll firecall you this afternoon. We can talk about what you should do then."

Augusta Longbottom wiped her eyes and nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. Maybe a dram of Firewhiskey will help me calm down a bit." She said, and headed into Madame Malkin's.

"I'll talk to you this afternoon, Augusta!" Professor Mcgonagall called after her.

Mum cleared her throat, and Mcgonagall seemingly remembered where she was.

"Oh! I'm sorry about that. That was an old friend going through a bit of a hard time." She said.

"What exactly happened, if you don't mind my asking," Mum asked.

"It's an old story, and not exactly mine to tell. I'm sorry for taking up so much of our time today. Where were we headed next?" Mcgonagall asked.

"I've picked up Will's potion supplies besides the ingredients, and all of the books he'll need for school." Mum recounted, "My husband went to the Apothecary for the-"

"What!" Will erupted, "But I wanted to go to the bookstore!"

"I knew you'd waste all of our time in there, so I made a quick trip while you were getting fitted. We don't want to waste all of the Professor's time, do we?" Mum asked, slipping into her sweet voice. A clear warning note.

"No, Ma'am." Will replied, giving a somewhat sarcastic salute.

Mum snorted, "Very funny. I think I see your dad coming now."

Apparently his dad had gotten the Potion ingredients needed, and also found the telescope needed for Astronomy class. Only one thing remained. The wand.

* * *

Ollivander's was dustier than expected. It sort of fit the mood of the shop, and seeing how long Ollivander's had been around, some of that dust might be from the B.C. era. Will was more interested in the odd tingle he felt. As if there were thousands of voices whispering in the back of the shop. But he didn't hear it so much as feel it. He also felt a little tug, like there was something back there, something for him.

While he was standing there distracted, Ollivander's tape measure was measuring different parts of his body, currently the width of his fingernails.

Ollivander emerged from the back of the store, carrying an array of different boxes. After trying twelve different wands, Ollivander paused and looked at Will. It was similar to the look his mother would give, an 'I see through you' type of look. It made him uncomfortable, and he opened his mouth, but before he could speak Ollivander was in the back of the store again, rustling around. Will looked at his mum, and his mum looked at Professor Mcgonagall, who shrugged.

Suddenly, Ollivander was back, scaring Will. He hadn't heard him come up.

Ollivander gestured to the counter again, but this time there were only three boxes. "Try these ones," He said, "I have a good feeling about them."

Will did too, an especially good feeling. That tugging he'd felt before was in front of him now, coming from the box on his left. "This one," he muttered, approaching it. As soon as he grasped the wand, a soft breeze kicked up, and a familiar white fog escaped from the wand. It swirled around Will, then vanished. As it did, a feeling snapped into place, like this was what was supposed to happen all along. Looking down at the wand, he could see it was a pale grey, and covered in white swirls and curves from the point to the base of the handle, giving it a rather ethereal quality.

"Correct!" Ollivander cried, "Oh that was splendid. That wand is Yew and Phoenix Feather, thirteen inches, incredibly flexible. But a Yew wand, haven't sold one of those in a while. And for it to be one of these three, well… You see, these three wands are brother core wands. I haven't found a wielder for the other two yet, but I wasn't expecting to find a wielder for any of these wands for a very long time."

Mum took a closer look at the wand in question. "Where did you find Yew wood so pale? I wasn't aware Yew came in shades this light."

"Oh, I didn't make these three wands, it was one of my ancestors. He based them off of a children's story I believe. The Tale of the Three Brothers, have you heard of it? It's a wizarding story, so maybe not. And all wand wood comes from specific wand trees. I believe the story with this one is that it came from the center of a dead branch. A dead outer, with a core of life. This will be a very powerful wand, but dangerous in the wrong hands. We can expect great things from you, Mr. Nelson."

Will wasn't sure how to feel about that.

* * *

Weeks went by, Dudley's birthday came and went, and Will had frozen with the realization that this was the year the Dursleys went to the zoo! And Harry hadn't been there, because it fell on a Sunday this year. He missed the zoo trip!

After freaking out about it, Will considered things, and realized that this didn't change too much. Harry just wouldn't know he could talk to snakes, that's all. It was possible for Will to fix that, but why bother? It might make the whole dueling club more of a fiasco, but Will had plenty of time to figure out a plan for that. If he found an opportunity he might fix it, but for now it was fine the way it was.

Nothing especially interesting happened until the twenty-fourth of July. That was the day Will knew the letters for Harry would start to arrive, but it was a Wednesday so Harry was with the Nelsons.

Harry had actually noticed Will's anxiety, and had asked him what was wrong. It had been agony trying to keep magic from Harry, even if it was only for a few months. Will had had to get creative in order not to lie to him. After sending Harry off to the Dursleys on Thursday, Will was antsy the next two days, waiting for Saturday to roll around. He just hoped the Dursleys weren't too upset with Harry, what with all the letters arriving.

Saturday had been the day Will was waiting for. Harry came back disgruntled. When asked about it, he told Will about his uncle taking his letters.

"But you held it, right?" Will asked, excited, "You held one of the letters?"

"Yes, but I didn't get to open it." Harry confessed, miserable.

"Wait right here," Will just about yelled, and ran to his room to grab his letter. It was hidden in the back of his closet, with all of the rest of his magical stuff. Running back downstairs, he flopped back down on the couch next to Harry. "Did it look like this?" Will showed Harry the envelope his letter had come in.

Harry took it, turning it over, "Almost exactly, but with my name and room instead of-"

"Yeah, yeah, Details, details." Will said, waving his hands, "The point is you got your letter Harry! That means I can tell you what's been going on!"

"Going... on?" Harry asked, confused.

"Anyway, read this." Will handed over the introduction letter.

Taking it carefully, Harry swallowed, before reading it thoroughly. When he was done, Will nearly jumped on him. "This is why we can do the things we do! We have magic! Ugh, you have no idea what keeping that from you was like!" Will collapsed dramatically on the floor.

"You lied to me?" It was a soft question, Will barely heard it. He popped his head up to look at Harry.

"What? No, I just...withheld information."

"Withholding information and lying are the same thing in a court of law." Harry said dryly. Wow, he'd been spending too much time with mum.

"I didn't want to, okay? It was literally illegal for me to tell you. I couldn't until you got your letter." Will, said, frowning. He didn't want to have a fight with Harry. Was that where this was headed? "I told you the literal second I could. I… I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you. Are we good?" He said hesitantly, reaching out to put a hand on Harry's shoulder but stopping before he touched him.

Harry looked away for a minute, then looked back. "Well, I'm not happy you 'withheld information' from me, but I guess I understand why you did it. After all, how bad would it look if the son of a lawyer went around breaking the law just because it was inconvenient?" Harry chuckled, and Will joined in. After a minute Harry added, "But you owe me one."

"I know how to start to pay you back!" Will said, excited, "did you read the list attached?"

"You mean about the robes and book list?" Harry questioned.

"There's one thing not on that list that's necessary." Will said mysteriously, then ran upstairs.

"Not on the list? Hey! Will, what is it!?" Harry yelled, and took off after him.

After showing Harry his wand, (his wand, how cool was that!) the boys played around with it, getting it to shower sparks in different colors. After that there was some roughhousing ('For revenge!' Harry had said) and it ended with them laying on the floor, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Will had explained everything he'd 'learned' about the wizarding world.

"Do you think the Dursleys know?" Harry asked suddenly.

Will paused, "It would explain a lot if they did. Why they're so hyper-focused on being normal, and why they dislike you so much." He said, after a moment.

"I think I might hate them," Harry blurted out.

"The Dursleys?" Will asked, craning his neck in time to see Harry nod.

"They've lied to me my whole life. And none of it was to protect me. I just wish…"

"I know." Will reached his hand out and grabbed Harry's. They lay there holding hands for a minute before Will shot up to a sitting position. "Hey, want to play a prank on them?"

Harry seemed to consider it for a moment, "What kind of prank?" He asked.

"Hogwarts seems pretty determined to get you to read one of your letters." Will said, hand on his chin, thinking, "Eventually they're going to send a real person to find out what's going on."

Harry nodded, motioning for Will to continue.

"You could pretend not to know what's going on until then. See just how paranoid your relatives can get."

Will reconsidered what he'd said, and backtracked a little, "Your relatives are still too afraid of getting the pants sued off them to do any real harm, and they'll probably send Mcgonagall again. She seems like she can definitely get control of a situation." Well, a terrifying Half-Giant could probably control the Dursleys just as well, but Will didn't say that part out loud. "You could also use the situation to find out how much your relatives really know about magic." He looked at Harry's face and saw him turned the other way.

"Never mind, it was stupid."

"Okay. I'll do it."

"I'm sorry for bringing it- What, you will?" Will jumped up, excited.

"I really want to know what my relatives have been hiding from me," Harry said, "And who knows, it might be fun."

"I'll check on you every night with astral projection," Will promised, "Let me know if things are too much, and I'll have mum and dad pick you up."

"Wait, wait," Harry laughed, "We still have tonight and all of tomorrow to hang out before then." He sat up, stretching. "It's about time to go to bed, right? I'm going to start getting ready. We can practice locating each other in astral form again tonight."

Harry grabbed his pajamas and exited the room, heading towards the bathroom. He still didn't like changing in front of other people, (Will's best guess was low self-confidence paired with embarrassing scars.) He grabbed his pajamas and quickly started changing.

Thinking back to their earlier conversation, Will frowned. Harry really didn't like people withholding information from him. What if he found out about the secrets Will was keeping, would their friendship be over? What about mum and dad? What if they found out about what happened to the real Will? Shaking his head, Will tried his best to discard those thoughts and headed out into the hall to brush his teeth.

* * *

I'm not sure what will be in the next chapter, Harry will meet Hagrid for sure. We might make it all the way to Platform nine and three quarters.


	10. Chapter 10, Finally Departing

July twenty-ninth, Harry went back over to the Dursleys, and Will and Harry both prepared for their plan to wring as much information out of them as they could, hereafter named Operation: Stick-em-up. As planned, Will waited until nightfall to act, and upon falling asleep followed the link to Harry's destination. It was an almost instantaneous form of travel in short distances, seeing as no wind or walls could stop them. They hadn't had the chance to practice fast movement over long distances, so this would be Will's test run.

It was going well at first, Will had pulled on the bond with Harry and started zooming towards his location. Will hadn't been sure if they'd end up in the same terrible hotel as in the books, but as far as he was aware, he was heading in the right direction. After a minute or two of the scenery flying by, Will found himself in a grungy hotel room. There were two small beds, one with a large lump under the covers, and one with a small lump. Attached to the small lump by a glowing cord was the familiar shining figure of astral-Harry.

Will floated over, yawning, {How's Operation: Stick-em-up going?}

{You're not surprised to see me in a hotel room?} Harry asked, somewhat confused.

{Let's just say I had a feeling something like this would happen.} Will yawned. {What happened this morning?}

{It started brilliantly,} Harry said, smiling, {Uncle Vernon completely blew his top when the letters arrived. They completely filled the living room. He made us pack a couple days worth of clothes and actually yelled at Dudley when he tried to pack his TV.}

{Heh, awesome.} Will nodded, and drifted down onto the floor.

Harry hovered closer, {Are you alright? You seem out of it.}

{I'm fine,} Will yawned {Just tired. I think I'll take a nap right here.}

There was a pause, then {WILL!} Harry yelled, causing him to jump a foot in the air.

{What? What is it?} Will asked, looking around woozily. When he looked back at Harry, Will was surprised to see a scared look on his face.

{You're flickering, I think you should go back to your body now,} Harry suggested, {Like, right now.}

{But I'm so tired, can't I just-}

{GO!} Harry yelled, surprising Will so much he followed his directions, no questions asked. He yanked on the cord connecting him to his body, and flew backwards, careening towards Little Whinging. When Harry yelled, you knew it was something serious.

Will slammed into his body and was immediately asleep. He ended up sleeping in way late, and still had to take a nap in the middle of the day to feel normal again. He also slept through the next night, even though he'd intended to astral project again. His parents seemed worried the few times he saw them, but he told them that he'd stayed up late the night before to explain why he was sleeping so much. Will wasn't sure if they believed him.

What Will realized later, after sleeping off his exhaustion, was there must be a limit to how far an astral body could travel. They'd really only explored Little Whinging and the surrounding areas while astral projecting before. This was the farthest trip they'd ever tried to take. Maybe that limit could be extended with time, but for now long astral trips were out.

* * *

It wasn't until two days later, July thirty-first, while he was worrying about Harry showing up for their scheduled sleep over, that Will found out the rest of what happened to Harry and the Dursleys. His parents had gone over to the Dursley's house, wondering where Harry was. Harry typically joined them for breakfast on Wednesdays, after all, and there was his birthday to celebrate too. What his parents discovered was that the Dursleys seemed to not be there, and Harry didn't answer the door either.

Will reassured them that it probably had to do with Harry's letter, and to wait until evening to see if they returned.

The Dursleys didn't return that day, but Harry did, with a trunk and an owl. And he definitely had a story to tell. When Will's parents asked what had happened, Harry began to explain. He told them about the Dursleys withholding his letters from him, and how Will filled him in on what was going on (he left out Operation: Stick-em-up.) He explained that Vernon had taken them to a hut on a rock in the middle of the ocean.

"About midnight, a huge man named Hagrid showed up, and Uncle Vernon came out of the back room with a gun. But Hagrid bent the gun in a knot and threw it away. After it came out that I already knew about Hogwarts, Uncle Vernon got steaming mad, and Aunt Petunia admitted that they'd known about magic the whole time! I mean, we figured they must have, but it was still a shock to hear it was true. After some shouting from Hagrid and Uncle Vernon, Hagrid used magic to give Dudley a pig's tail! You should have seen Aunt Petunia's face! After that the Dursleys hid in the back room, and Hagrid gave me a birthday cake, which was nice of him, even if it was a little sat on. He apparently knew my parents! He also took me shopping for my Hogwarts stuff. Look, I've got a wand now too!" Harry explained excitedly, and showed them his school supplies.

Mum gave Harry a shaky hug, while Dad looked over Harry's school stuff. "Did Hagrid buy these for you?" Dad asked, "That was nice of him. We'll have to send him a thank you card."

"No, actually," Harry replied, "Well, he did buy the owl, but apparently my parents left me some money at Gringotts Bank, so we paid for my school stuff with that."

"I see," Mum said thoughtfully, "You should probably save that money for now. Unless it's important, like school supplies, we'll still be able to purchase anything you'll need. You can use that money when you're older."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, "There was an awful lot of it. A whole heap of Galleons. I'd like to be able to pay you back for everything you've done for me." He tapped his new glasses, ones with a fitting prescription.

"A heap of Galleons?" Dad muttered, probably trying to figure out exactly how much that was. He did always have a brain for math.

"Yes, we're sure." Mum replied, "You don't ever need to pay us back for thing's we're happy to give." She gave Harry's shoulder a little squeeze. He nodded, smiling a little.

Will, Liam, and Alice looking at the owl, the one who would soon be named Hedwig. She was sleeping in the cage Harry had set on the dining room table. Or at least, she appeared to be sleeping. Will wasn't that familiar with the sleeping patterns of owls. He'd already had to slap Liam's hand away from the cage a few times, and Alice was completely besotted.

"Will?" Harry called, getting his attention. Will turned and saw Harry and his parents looking at him.

"I was just thinking that it was good that we have an owl now." Will replied, "We can keep in touch with mum and dad during the school year that way."

"With an owl?" Mum asked, then nodded, "Right, Mcgonagall did say something about owl post, didn't she. It was also mentioned in your acceptance letter. I guess owls are how wizards and witches keep in contact."

"Seems kind of slow," Dad added, stooping down to look at the owl, "Do you think it's a magical owl?"

"It must be," Will said, "How else are they going to send letters during the day? Owls are nocturnal, after all."

The as of yet unnamed owl opened an eye and glared at Dad, who had been tapping on the cage. He pulled his hand back sheepishly. "A feisty one, this one is. Does it have a name, Harry?"

"She." Harry said, then explained, "Hagrid said she was a female owl. But I haven't named her yet, no." He turned to look at Will, who was carefully turning the cage to look at the owl from all sides. "Do you want to name her?"

Will startled, "Me?" Will couldn't really imagine her being named anything but Hedwig.

"I'm not very good at giving things names," Harry confessed, "I'd probably just name her after something I found in a book."

"You sure?" Will asked, and when Harry nodded, stood up straight. "Okay then. I'll name her… Hedwig." There was no reason to name her anything else, it would just get confusing later.

"Why Hedwig?" Mum asked.

"It just feels right." Will explained.

* * *

Finally, finally, it was the first of September. The month up to now was spent going over their textbooks, and one more trip to Flourish and Blotts, where Will bought every book he could convince his mum to let him purchase. Unfortunately, most of them wouldn't fit in his trunk, so he was limited to his school books and a few extra. Even though the trunk was starting to get kind of heavy, he refused to go anywhere without Hogwarts: A History.

But there they were, bright and early, at King's Cross Station. Mcgonagall had told them where to go to get to platform nine and three quarters, so they pushed their trolleys in that direction. Upon reaching the correct place they nearly ran into another family, this one with only one trolley.

"Sorry! Sorry," Will said to the girl pushing the other cart, "Still not used to pushing these, mine got away from me a little."

"It's no problem," She said breathlessly, "I'm just a little excited for today, that's all." She then noticed Harry, and that Harry was pushing a trolley with an owl.

"Oh! Are you headed to-" She looked around to make sure no one was listening, "Hogwarts as well?" She whispered.

"Yes, both of us in fact!" Will replied, gesturing to both himself and Harry, who had pushed his cart a bit closer.

"Yes, I thought so!" She cried, "I've been ever so excited, I barely slept a wink last night. What houses do you think you'll be in, I've been hoping for Gryffindor because Headmaster Dumbledore was in that one, and everyone 's been saying-"

"Breathe Hermione," The woman standing behind her said, "Slow down a bit, you'll overwhelm them. Try introducing yourself first."

"Oh! Sorry, I'm just very excited." Hermione said, "I'm Hermione Granger, it's nice to meet you two."

"Will Nelson, and this is Harry." He said, sticking out his hand for her to shake. She did so enthusiastically. "We should probably head in, we don't want to attract attention by standing around out here."

"That's a good idea," Mum replied, "We want to have plenty of time to get you all situated on the train before it's time to go."

"I'll go first," Will said, and turned his cart to face the right wall.

"Mcgonagall said to take it at a bit of a run," His father reminded him.

"I've got it!" Will replied, and took off. He kept his eyes open, seeing as he knew it would work and he wanted to see what it looked like to travel between the two spaces.

It was like he blinked, even though his eyes were open the whole time. Just as he was about to hit the wall, everything went dark for a moment and he found himself running out the other side. A sign hanging from the wall proudly proclaiming this to be 'Platform 9 ¾'. It was busier than he expected it to be this early, the hustle and bustle of strangely dressed families helping their kids onto the scarlet train.

Realizing he'd stopped to take in the view, Will moved quickly out of the way, just in time to dodge Harry's cart making an appearance. Harry had his eyes closed tight, but seemed to open them in surprise. Will waved him over to get out of the way of the others, and Hermione came through at a run, quickly followed by their parents.

As the parents chatted, probably about being non-magical parents of magical children, Will and Harry talked with Hermione.

"I've been pretty excited to go myself," Will said, "I'm hoping we can make more friends at Hogwarts. Harry and I have been pretty isolated from our peers at muggle school."

"You too?" Hermione asked, "I wonder if that's common of muggleborn wizards and witches. I've had a few friendships over the years, but none of them lasted very long. That's one of the reasons I've been so enthusiastic. Well, besides learning magic."

"I know, right?" Will added, "Real magic!"

"We've experimented a bit at home with magic," Harry added, "Just a few simple spells, like conjuring sparks, but it's been interesting so far."

"I have as well! The locking and unlocking spells seem especially useful, but those are the only other two I've managed to practice so far." She replied, smiling.

"Unfortunately, once we've actually begun to learn magic, I think it's against the rules to use magic during the summer." Will replied.

"Oh, that's a bit disappointing." Hermione said, a bit disgruntled, "We won't be able to show our parent's what we've learned!"

"It's the rules." Will reminded, "Maybe when we grow up we can change them, but for now we're stuck with how things are."

Hermione gave Will a strange look, then said, "I guess you're right. It's just frustrating."

"I know," Harry replied, "but there's nothing we can do for now." He hefted his trunk out of his cart. "Let's get our trunks on board, then we can continue talking. It looks like it's almost time to go."

With the help of the parents, Will, Harry, and Hermione found an empty compartment and stowed their luggage. After some tearful hugs goodbye, the parents exited the train to stand outside.

As they were getting comfortable, Will saw someone he recognized getting on the train. He jumped up and opened the door as they passed.

"Neville!" He called, "In here!" and moved out of the way for Neville and his trunk. With a little help from Harry, Neville got his trunk stowed and sat down next to Hermione.

"Neville, I don't know if you remember me-"

"I do! You're W-Will Nelson, right? We met at Madame Malkin's." Neville replied, fidgeting, "Thank you for inviting me to sit with you, I was n-nervous about asking to sit with someone."

"It's no problem!" Will replied cheerfully, "This is my new friend Hermione Granger, and this is my best friend Harry Potter."

Both Hermione and Neville seemed surprised.

"You're Harry Potter?" Hermione asked, "I read your name in a few books, they're-"

"Hermione," Will cut her off, "Harry really only just found out he's famous, and is a little uncomfortable with all of the attention." He'd read the books as well, and showed them to Harry. Will had gotten so used to Harry as a person, it was strange to see his name in a book again.

"I see." Hermione said, nodding in understanding, "I'd probably be uncomfortable with it as well if I randomly found out I was famous. I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Harry shrugged, looking out the window, "It's okay, but maybe we can talk about something else."

Neville looked like he had something he wanted to add, but he refrained.

As Hermione changed the subject, Will looked out the window to see a family of red haired kids hurrying onto the platform. The parents gave them quick hugs and hurried them on the train, while a little red haired girl held her mum's hand and cried. They were a bit down the platform from their compartment, so Will couldn't hear what they were saying.

Not long after that, the whistle sounded. Will opened the window and all four of them leaned out to wave goodbye to their families. As the train pulled away, Will couldn't help but feel a bit lonely as the little red-haired girl ran along with the train, waving through her tears. His own siblings were still at home, and he wouldn't see them again until Christmas time. Nor his parents, either.

As Platform nine and three quarters faded into the distance, Will closed the window and turned back to the others. It had taken a long while, but it was finally time for the true adventure to begin.

* * *

Welp, we're off! The train's on the tracks and this story is blasting full steam ahead. I'm coming down off of my intense writing hyper-focus, so chapters will be a bit slower from now on. But really, nine chapters in three days was a bit much. I didn't have time for anything else. Let me know if the pace of the story feels a bit off to you.


	11. Chapter 11, The Awaited Arrival

Once the train was fully underway, and King's Cross was fully out of view, someone opened their compartment door, and stepped inside.

"Darn, this one's pretty full too." The red-haired boy said, frowning, "Sorry, I'll be going then."

"No it's okay," Will said, scooching over so there was room on his other side from Harry, "We can make room."

"Thanks," The boy said, taking the seat, "I left my trunk with my brothers. They had started talking about how one of their friends had a giant tarantula they were going to see, so I got out of there as fast as I could. I'm Ron Weasley, by the way."

"Will Nelson, nice to meet you."

"Hermione Granger, a pleasure. You've got a bit of dirt on your nose, did you know?"

"Really?" The boy asked, rubbing at his face, "I thought my mum got all of it. That's embarrassing."

"Here," Will said, and pulled out his thermos of water. Dipping his handkerchief into it, he handed over the now wet cloth, "You're kind of just smearing it around."

"Thanks," Ron chuckled, probably to hide embarrassment. He took the cloth and started to wipe his face.

"Anyway," Will said, "We were introducing ourselves, right?"

"Yeah," Ron said, "but I've already met Neville." He gave a little wave to Neville, which was returned.

Harry, the last to have not introduced himself, sighed, "And I'm Harry."

A curious look appeared on Ron's face, "You wouldn't happen to be Harry Potter, would you?"

"Not you too!" Will cried.

"What, it was just a question!" Ron retorted defensively.

"We were just talking about that," Hermione informed Ron, "Apparently Harry wasn't aware he was famous until he got his letter. It makes him uncomfortable."

"What? Why?" Ron asked, aghast. Will wondered if it was the idea of Harry not knowing he was famous, or the idea that being famous would make someone uncomfortable, that was making Ron so shocked.

"I'd like to know too." Neville spoke up, "My gran said Harry was being raised by a magical family. Why wouldn't they tell him the truth?"

"That's what those books said, too." Harry replied, "But it's not true. I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle, who are perfectly normal."

"Why didn't they tell you, though? Did they not know you were famous?" Hermione asked, as Neville and Ron seemed to have been a bit shocked by the information Harry just told them.

"They probably didn't know he was famous," Will replied.

"Even if they did, they wouldn't have told me," Harry muttered.

"Yeah," Will added, "I mean, they knew about magic and didn't tell you, so why would this be any different?"

"They didn't even tell you about magic?!" Ron sputtered out, shocked.

Harry seemed to be getting more uncomfortable, so Will cut in, "Can we talk about something else? What are you guys looking forward to most about Hogwarts? Besides finally learning to do magic, I mean."

Hermione saw the look on Harry's face and picked up on Will's cue, "I mentioned this before, but I've been looking forward to making some magical friends. I've also been looking forward to some of the classes we're going to be taking. Transfiguration for example looks somewhat difficult from what I've heard, but the spells learned there are some of the most useful. Charms and Potions both look interesting as well."

Ron scoffed, "If you like Potions you better hope you're a Slytherin then, because they're the only ones that Snape favors. He looks down on everyone else."

"Professor Snape," Hermione corrected, "And you've never even been in one of his classes, how do you know that that's even true?"

"All of my brothers've said so, and if Percy has talked badly about a Professor you know it's true."

"Is that the brother with the giant spider?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Tarantula, actually." Ron shuddered, "And no, the ones with the tarantula are Fred and George."

"You've got a lot of brothers." Harry noted, "Four boys is a lot."

"Six actually," Ron corrected, "The oldest two are already out of Hogwarts though, so you won't be meeting them. I also have a younger sister, but she won't start until next year."

"My brother starts next year as well," Will said, "and my sister will start in our fifth year."

"But seven children is a lot," Hermione said, "I can't even imagine what that's like. I'm an only child myself."

"Me too," Added Neville, "I wish I had some siblings. Longbottom Manor is kind of empty with just me and Gran."

Hermione and Harry looked curious, so Will cut in, "What are you looking forward to at Hogwarts, Neville?"

Neville paused, considering, "I'm pretty good at Herbology, so I guess I'm looking forward to that, but mostly I'm looking forward to making some f-friends as well." He stammered, blushing. As he was talking, Will noticed that Trevor, ever the adventurer, had gotten his cage unlatched.

"Um, Neville, your toad's escaping." He pointed.

Neville jumped up and grabbed Trevor right as he was about to make a flying leap. "Thanks Will, Trevor's a bit of an escape artist, if I don't pay attention to him he'll go missing in a heartbeat. My Great-Uncle would kill me if I let his gift run off."

Will was getting a bit hot, sitting between two people, so he got up and opened the window a bit.

As he was doing this, the trolley lady arrived, "Anything off of the Trolley dears?"

"No thank you-" Hermione started to say before-

"I'll take some of everything," Harry piped up. He was looking at the candy with a curious eye.

After Harry gathered his purchases and the Trolley lady left, Hermione rounded on Harry.

"You're not going to eat all of that, are you?" she asked exasperatedly.

"I didn't want to miss anything," Harry replied, "Plus I got enough for us all to share."

Hermione huffed a bit, but Harry ignored her and started handing out the candy.

"Why are you so against candy?" Will asked, though he already knew. He accepted some Chocolate Frogs, and a Cauldron Cake from Harry.

"My parents are Dentists," Hermione confirmed, "How would it look if I got cavities? My mum would go spare."

"There are spells for that," Ron piped up, already chewing on some Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and holding a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. There were some Chocolate Frogs sitting in his lap.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron.

"If you have a toothache, just go to the school nurse. She'll fix it right up for you. Won't take a minute," Ron replied. And picked up a Chocolate Frog and held it out to her, "Here, one won't hurt."

Hermione looked torn, eyeing the forbidden treat, "She can really fix a cavity in a minute?" She asked hesitantly.

"Probably." Ron nodded.

Hermione eyed him, then the chocolate, probably weighing her options. She then swiped it from Ron's hand.

"I should probably warn you," Ron said, "But once you open them they can be a little-"

He was too late, however. Hermione had pulled open the Chocolate Frog, and the frog in question gave one huge leap. It landed right on Ron's face.

This caused two things. One, Ron flailed, sending all of his Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans cascading to the floor. Two, Ron's flailing arms knocked into Will, who knocked into Harry, who had just been opening his own chocolate frog.

Harry's Chocolate Frog took its own leap, right out the open window, and Harry jumped up to stick his head out, to see where it had gone.

At the same time Hermione, who had been sitting across from Ron, jumped up. To apologize or to help Will didn't know, but unfortunately for her, the beans got under foot causing her to slip and fall into Neville sending them both to the floor. In the commotion, Trevor tried to make another escape attempt, and did a swan dive out of his carrier. Will saw this and lunged at Trevor, catching him right before he hit the door.

Of course, this was just the time that somebody slammed open the compartment door. It was a pale, sharp-faced boy with two larger boys behind him. He opened his mouth, probably to say something, but stopped. In the position Will had caught Trevor, he was holding him right in front of (Draco?) the boy's face. He looked at the toad, then Will, and said "Wrong compartment," then closed the door again.

Will started laughing. He couldn't help it! Harry pulled his head back in the compartment and, after looking around, started laughing too. That was what set everyone else off as well.

Will helped Neville up and gave him back his toad, while Harry helped up Hermione. They all collapsed back into their seats, helplessly giggling.

"Ow, my sides!" Will laughed, "That was really funny. Did you see that guy's face?"

"I did!" Ron added, chuckling.

"I had a pretty good view from the floor as well," Hermione giggled.

"What guy?" Harry asked.

"Oh, that's right! Harry had his head stuck out the window!" Will gasped, "This guy opened the door and I was holding Trevor right in front of his face!" That started another round of laughter. After they'd calmed down, Will described what the boy looked like.

"That sounds like Draco Malfoy," Neville chuckled.

"He totally deserves to get a toad shoved in his face!" Ron laughed, "He's pretty toad-like himself!"

"Hey!" Neville interjected, laughing, "There's nothing wrong with toads!"

"You're right," Ron agreed, "I'm sorry for all toads everywhere, for comparing them to something like that!"

"Is he not very nice?" Hermione asked, still smiling a little.

"No, he's not." Neville said, "I've met him a few times before, and I can say that without a doubt."

"He and his family are some of the biggest Blood-Purists around!" Ron added.

"Blood-Purists?" Hermione asked, her smile fading a little.

Ron and Neville looked at each other, grimacing.

"They're people who believe that only Purebloods, people who have been only magical going back generations, should be allowed to learn magic. So yes, they're not very nice." Ron explained. "My family might be Pureblooded, but we certainly don't agree with them."

"Mine either." Neville nodded, eyes hard.

Hermione fell silent. "So, they're prejudiced against people like me?" She asked in a small voice.

"And me." Will added, nodding to her. "And Harry, too. His mum was Muggleborn, just like us."

"That's- That's outrageous!" Hermione exclaimed, "Why would they even think that?!"

"I'm not sure," Ron said, "They've come up with all sorts of lies before, like Muggleborns have stolen the magic from Squibs, that sort of thing."

"Squibs?" Harry questioned.

"People born in a magical family, but don't have magic themselves," Neville added, "My family thought I was one for a while because I never had any accidental magic as a kid."

"They've also said stuff like Muggleborns are naturally weaker magically, or that they're more likely to expose the wizarding world and therefore shouldn't be invited." Ron explained. "Most people don't believe it, of course-"

"But there's a portion of them that do." Hermione finished. She looked furious.

"Well, if they're going to say those kinds of things about us, we're just going to have to prove them wrong." Will said seriously, looking at Hermione. She looked back at him and nodded, just as seriously.

"We'll be the best magic users they've ever seen, and blow them all away." Hermione smiled a sharp smile.

"Yes! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Will cheered.

"Don't forget me," Harry added, "I'm in too." He was wearing a serious expression, one Will hadn't seen often. "Hagrid said that Voldemort was still out there, so I'm going to need to be as strong as I can in case he tries to finish what he started."

Will, Neville, and Ron all recoiled, though for different reasons. This was the first Will had heard Harry talk about this. Had this been bothering him for a while now?

Neville looked pale, and Ron hissed, "Don't say the name!"

"What?" Hermione asked, "Why not? It's just a name, it can't hurt you."

"Names can have power though." Will said, considering, "In most fairy tales, learning something's true name can give you power over it. This includes people too."

"Well, I don't know about that," Neville said, looking at Will, "But in the last war, You-Know-Who put a Taboo on his name, so when someone said it he'd be alerted to where they were. That's why most people are still afraid to say it. Even though he's gone."

Harry nodded."That makes sense, but the Taboo's gone now, right? So there's no reason to fear it now."

"But it still brings up a lot of unhappy memories for people, so it's best to not say it." Neville reasoned.

"I see." Harry's face was indecipherable.

"Hey!" Ron said suddenly, "What Chocolate Frog Cards did you guys get?"

"Chocolate Frog...Cards?" Hermione asked.

"Sure," Ron said, and grabbed one of the empty packages off the floor. Turning it over, he shook out a pentagon shaped card, "See? They have famous people on them for people to collect. I'm missing Agrippa, so I'll trade with you if you get that one. Aw, Morgana again?"

"We should probably clean up as well." Will said, looking at all of the candy on the floor.

* * *

They cleaned up as best they could. There were probably still some Bertie Bott's stuck somewhere, but oh well. They'd gotten quite a collection of Chocolate Frog Cards, but no Agrippa sadly. Hermione, Will, and Harry were fascinated by the moving pictures and Neville and Ron had been surprised to learn why.

"What, muggle pictures don't move? At all? How do they not get bored?" Ron asked, bewildered.

As Hermione explained, Will saw Harry reading the Albus Dumbledore card again. Leaning over, he saw the little headmaster give a sneeze and rub his nose.

Then Ron's stomach grumbled, and they decided to eat the lunches they'd packed. Harry and Will shared theirs with Ron when they saw the corned beef sandwich.

Suddenly, the compartment door slammed open a second time. It was the blond and his goons again.

"This was the right compartment!" The boy said, looking around. "I've been looking for Harry Potter, that's you, right?" He said, looking at Harry.

"We're a little busy at the moment," Will said politely, "Could you come later?"

The boy looked around. "You don't look busy to me."

"We're in the middle of an important conversation, and you rather rudely interrupted us," Hermione said, somewhat snippy. She was still somewhat upset, Will noticed.

The boy flushed, "Look, I don't think-"

"You haven't even introduced yourself," Harry said, "And as my friend said, you've been rather rude."

Will saw an opportunity, "Look, why don't we start again, I'm Will Nelson, it's nice to meet you." He stood up and stuck his hand out in greeting.

"Draco Malfoy," Draco said, and shook his hand, "And these are Crabbe and Goyle." He gestured to his two goons. "I don't think I've heard the name Nelson before, are you related to the Prewetts? Or maybe the Weasleys?" He said, looking at Will's auburn hair.

"I don't think so, but I wouldn't rule it out." Will said, smiling. "Anyway, that's Harry Potter over there, and i think you know Neville Longbottom. This is Hermione Granger, and you mentioned his family, so you probably know of Ron Weasley."

Draco seemed to realize he was outnumbered, and turned back to Harry.

"I just came to introduce myself, but I'll talk to you again when you're not so… busy."

With that, Draco and his tagalongs left.

"Why were you so polite to him?" Harry asked Will. "He doesn't seem very friendly, or even nice."

"I'd rather not make any enemies this early in the school year." Will replied, sitting back down.

The compartment door opened again, and this time it was a tall, red-headed boy wearing a prefect's badge. He was already in his school robes.

"There you are, Ron. Fred and George said they'd seen you come this way." He said, and looked at the others. "You should all change into your robes, we should be nearly there about now. I also heard rumors of loud noises and laughter coming from this direction, do you all know anything?"

"I get that you're happy to be a Prefect Percy, but you're laying it on a little thick," Ron said, "Let people have some fun. There's no harm if they're not breaking the rules, right?"

Percy frowned at Ron, "Fine, but you should all still get changed." He said, before swaggering off.

They took Percy's advice, changing in turns while the others waited in the hallway. After that it was only a couple minutes before a voice rang out overhead telling them they were five minutes away and to leave their luggage on the train. Will was a ball of nervous excitement. Once the train had stopped completely, they disembarked. They were finally here.

* * *

Sorting next chapter, but that was probably obvious.


	12. Chapter 12, Something Simple

Harry grabbed Will's arm and pulled him in the direction of an extremely tall man who could only be Hagrid. He was doing the 'Firs' years' call as well, so that was a big clue.

"There yeh are Harry!" Hagrid said as they approached, "Any more firs' years? If that's all o' yeh, come righ' this way now, and mind yer step."

Hagrid led them down to the docks and as Hogwarts came into view, Will gasped. It was beautiful!

After being told four to a boat, Will nodded to the others and motioned for them to split up, so no one person was left alone. Harry grabbed his arm again and pulled him into a boat with what looked to be the Patil twins. Neville, Ron, and Hermione got in a boat with a black boy who was maybe Dean Thomas, or possibly Blaise Zabini.

As Hagrid directed the boats left the dock and sailed onto the open lake, heading for the castle.

They glided towards the cliff face and Hagrid told them to duck, which they all did. Will didn't know why they had bothered, because as they sailed into the hidden cavern he saw that there had been enough room for their heads. The only one who needed to duck was Hagrid.

As they hopped out of the boats, Hagrid led them up a staircase leading to a large door, on which he knocked.

Professor Mcgonagall answered, and led them inside. She expertly corralled them into a side chamber away from the Great Hall, and quickly got them all to be quiet with a single glare.

"Now that everyone is paying attention, I'd like to welcome you all to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Start-of-Term Banquet will be starting soon, but before that you all will be sorted into your Houses. This step is important because these Houses will be like family to you as you progress through your years here. You'll eat meals, attend classes, and sleep in the same room with those you're sorted with. You'll also spend down time in your House common room.

"Now there are four Houses here at Hogwarts, and those houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has an illustrious history behind it, and each House has had many successful Wizards and Witches among its Alumni.

"There's one other thing I need to go over before we begin the sorting. The House Point system. All of your successes, in classes and out, will be given House Points. But any rule breaking will see House Points taken away. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will win the coveted House Cup." She paused to look at them, "I'm sure you'll all make your Houses proud, no matter which House you're sorted into."

"Now everyone, please wait quietly while I go to prepare for you. I'll return when everything is ready." With one last glare, Mcgonagall left the room.

There was a pause.

"How exactly do we get sorted," Harry asked. Will looked around, nobody said anything until-

"Fred and George said it was some sort of test, but I think they were joking." Ron commented, "I hope they were joking." was added softly at the end.

Everyone looked nervous. Will paused. He'd considered a plan where he made everyone think he was psychic, so he could use future knowledge to his advantage. Was this the right time to lay the groundworks for that? Only one way to find out.

"I'm pretty sure it's something simple, like putting on a hat." Will said, smiling encouragingly at Harry.

"You really think it'd be something as simple as that?" Draco laughed in disbelief, "Why keep it such a big secret then?"

"What do you think, Hermione?" Will asked, ignoring Draco (to his outrage) "Have you read about it in any books?"

Hermione gave Will a strange look, but replied, "As far as I'm aware, it isn't written down anywhere. I mean, you'd think it would have been added to Hogwarts: A History, but they didn't mention it there, either."

"Well, there's no point getting too worked up about it," Will added, "I'm sure they wouldn't have us doing anything too hard or dangerous. We're only first years after all, we haven't learned any magic yet."

Everyone's facial expressions looked a little better now, so Will considered this a success. Except that at that moment, someone screamed. Will looked towards the sound, and saw a large group of ghosts travelling through the wall into the room. And yep, they were arguing about Peeves. The films had got this one pretty spot on appearance-wise. He cleared his throat.

A ghost in a ruff looked up at the noise, "Oh dear, are we interrupting something?"

"We're about to be sorted, actually." Will replied.

A bald monk gasped, "Really, is it that time of year already? I do hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old House." He paused, and took a closer look at Will. "Hang on, are you-"

"Sorry to interrupt," Mcgonagall interjected, revealing that she'd returned while they'd been distracted, "It's time for the sorting now, so I'd appreciate it if you all followed me."

Will looked back to see everyone else staring at him.

"What?" He asked.

* * *

They lined up and followed Mcgonagall into the Great Hall, walking to the front between two long tables. The room was huge! It looked like the walls just ended, and all that was above them was the night sky. The floating candles were a nice touch too. "It's enchanted." Hermione piped up, "To look like the night sky outside. It said so in-"

"Hogwarts: A History," Will finished for her, and she smiled at him.

Sitting up front, with the Professor's table behind it, sat a stool and a hat. Harry turned to Will and said, "Looks like you were right," under his breath. Will shrugged.

Ron sighed, "I'm going to get Fred and George. They said something about wrestling a troll."

As they reached the front, the hat began to sing a familiar song. Will started enthusiastic clapping when it was done. It was nice to hear that in person!

"Now, when I call your name, sit on this stool and I'll put the hat on your head." Mcgonagall announced, before pulling out a scroll and calling out, "Abbott, Hannah!"

Everyone watched as the blonde girl in pigtails sat on the stool, and Mcgonagall lowered the Hat.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat announced.

"What happens if we're separated?" Harry asked quietly.

"Bones, Susan!"

"Doesn't matter to me," Will said, "I'm still going to be your friend."

"Hufflepuff!"

Harry nodded.

"Boot, Terry!"

"I hope we'll be in the same House though. ("Ravenclaw!") It'll be easier if we are. ("Brocklehurst, Amanda!") Ron, Neville, and Hermione too. We'd be able to go on adventures together if we're in the same House." Will added thoughtfully.

"Ravenclaw!"

Harry paused, "I see." He had a strange look on his face.

"Brown, Lavender!"

"What's wrong?" Will asked, confused.

"Gryffindor!"

"Nothing," Harry assured, "Just thinking is all. Now let's be quiet, I think Mcgonagall is glaring at us."

"Bulstrode, Millicent!"

Will considered his options. He was definitely hoping for Gryffindor, ("Slytherin!") but he wondered if the changes he'd made would make the sorting different as well. ("Corner, Michael!") What would happen if they all ended up in different Houses? ("Ravenclaw!") And what about him? ("Crabbe, Vincent!") Even if the others all ended up in Gryffindor, ("Slytherin!") would that happen to Will as well? ("Finch-Fletchley, Justin!") He didn't have the benefit of foreknowledge for his own sorting. ("Hufflepuff!")

"Are you alright?" Harry whispered.

"Finnigan, Seamus!"

"What?" Will asked, distracted.

"Are you alright." Harry stated, "You seem more worried than I am."

"Oh," Will said, "I just really want us to be in the same House is all. I'm a little worried about drifting apart, to be honest. I don't want you to leave me behind."

"Me leave you behind?" Harry laughed, "I was worried about you leaving me behind."

"Gryffindor!"

"That will never happen, as long as I can help it." Will said, determined.

"Goyle, Gregory!"

There was a pause, ("Slytherin!") then Harry said, "Thanks, Will. I'm not going to leave you behind either."

Hermione was vibrating in place with excitement.

"Granger, Hermione!"

She almost ran up to the stool, and plopped down onto it. Mcgonagall sat the hat on her head. There was a pause.

"This seems to be taking a while," Will muttered, "I wonder if she'll be a hatstall."

"A what?" Harry asked.

"It was mentioned in Hogwarts: a History. If a student takes more than five minutes to be sorted, they're considered a hatstall." Will replied, "Do you want to borrow my copy? It's an interesting read."

"I'm good," Harry chuckled, "I'll just ask you."

"Gryffindor!" The hat shouted. Hermione beamed, and after Mcgonagall removed the hat she headed to the Gryffindor table.

"Greengrass, Daphne!"

"Not quite five minutes, I'd say." Harry said.

"Slytherin!"

"Yep, not a hatstall."

"Neville Longbottom!"

Neville moved forward nervously. He gingerly sat on the stool, and Mcgonagall placed the hat on his head.

"Gryffindor!"

Neville stood up, and looked at Will, smiling. Will smiled at him, and pointed to his head. Neville looked confused for a moment, before Mcgonagall cleared her throat and removed the hat from Neville's head.

As Neville headed to the Gryffindor table, Will was a little confused. ("MacDougal, Morag!") Wasn't Neville supposed to almost be a hatstall too? The sorting hat had decided pretty quickly. ("Ravenclaw!") Had something he'd said changed Neville's mind about where he should be sorted? ("Macmillan, Ernest!") Will had read that the reason Neville's sorting had taken so long was because he argued with the hat about placing him in Gryffindor. ("Hufflepuff!") What had changed?

Mcgonagall looked at the roll of parchment she was holding again, and announced, "Malfoy, Draco!"

Draco swaggered over, and sat on the stool. The hat barely touched his head.

"Slytherin!"

"Well, that's not very surprising." Will muttered. ("Moon, Lily!") Harry gave Will a confused look. ("Hufflepuff!")

Will was energized, excited, expectant. His name should be next!

"Nelson, William!" Mcgonagall called out.

This was it, the moment of truth. As the hat slid over his eyes, Will swallowed nervously.

All was darkness. Quiet.

Quiet? Wasn't the Sorting Hat supposed to speak to him? Will sat nervously. Was something wrong? Will mentally felt about, trying to see if there was something he could do. He felt a small tendril poking about and as soon as he touched it, a mental link snapped into place.

'Oh my, that's new.' Will heard a voice in his head, finally. Wait, that wasn't something to celebrate, normally.

'Oh, I see what happened. This isn't your body, is it?' Will froze. The hat wasn't going to tell everyone, was it?

'Oh, don't worry, there's still that confidentiality agreement. I couldn't tell, even if I wanted to. But I don't want to. I can see the mission you've been sent on is very important. Isn't this exciting, it isn't often I see something new, and this is definitely new. Did you know that anyone trying to enter your head finds emptiness? No, I can see your surprise. It would certainly make anyone using Legilimency suspicious to find someone with no thoughts, don't you think? Do come talk to me again later, I'd love to chat with you more.

'But now to get down to business. Oh, this is a no-brainer. Anyone who would jump headfirst into danger like you did belongs in-'

"Gryffindor!"

Light and sound erupted around Will again as the hat was removed. He mechanically stood up and walked over to the Gryffindor table. Hermione and Neville clapped him on the back as he sat down, but Will was miles away. He'd have to be very careful from now on wouldn't he?

* * *

A hand waved in front of Will's face, causing him to jump.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Hermione apologized, "I just thought you'd want to see Harry get sorted. You seemed sort of out of it, so I thought I'd-"

"No, thank you!" Will replied, and turned to see Harry already wearing the Sorting Hat. He crossed his fingers, but it was unnecessary.

"Gryffindor!" The hat called, and the Gryffindor table erupted! Fred and George were pounding on the table and doing a familiar chant. Will stood and cheered as well. Harry beamed at him as he approached.

Will patted Harry on the back as they sat down.

"Thomas, Dean!"

"Did the hat say anything weird to you?" Will asked.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a strange expression on his face.

"Gryffindor!"

"Oh, I just meant- The hat said something weird to me, and I thought it might have something to do with astral projection, so I was wondering-"

"Turpin, Lisa!"

"No," Harry replied, "It didn't say anything like that. It just considered a couple different Houses before settling on Gryffindor."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Oh," Will replied, somewhat relieved. At least he hadn't damaged the link between his friend's mind and body.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

"Oh, Ron's up!" Harry said, and Will turned around to see Ron have the hat barely touch his head before-

"Gryffindor!"

Will cheered again, and patted Ron on the back as he sat down.

"Zabini, Blaise!"

"Oh good, I think this is the last one," Will said, "I'm starving." Harry gave him a funny look again.

"Slytherin!"

Everyone clapped this time, but probably because they were happy the sorting was over.

Dumbledore stood up, and everyone went silent, "I'd like to take the time to welcome everyone to another year at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He announced, "There's also a few words I want to say before we begin the feast, so here they are: Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak. Thank you." Will nodded along with the headmaster's speech. As soon as he was done speaking, the food appeared. Everything looked amazing. Will piled his plate high as Harry turned to talk to the person next to him, which was Percy.

"Is the headmaster completely sane?" Harry asked him.

"He's one of the most amazing wizards to have ever lived, but no he isn't completely sane. Mashed Potatoes?" Percy explained, then offered Harry a bowl.

"That all does look amazing," a voice said sadly.

Will looked up to see the ghost in the ruff from earlier staring at him.

"Would you like some?" He offered politely.

"No, dear boy, but thank you. Us ghosts can't eat, you see. It's one of the things I miss most, I haven't eaten in nearly four hundred years," The ghost explained.

"Wait," Ron said from the other side of the table, "I think I know you, Nearly-Headless-Nick, right?"

"Actually, I prefer to be called Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, if you don't mind-"

"How exactly can someone be nearly headless?" Seamus asked from Ron's left.

Sir Nick sighed, "Like this." And pulled his head to the side. Will tried to get a good look, but Sir Nicholas was floating behind him. Turning back around, Will saw all of the disgusted faces and decided that maybe it was better to finish eating first.

"Anyway!" Sir Nicholas said, swinging his head back on, "I'm the resident ghost of Gryffindor tower, so I'm pleased to meet all of you new Gryffindors! I do hope you all can help win us the House Cup, the Bloody Baron has been absolutely insufferable about it. Slytherin has won the cup the last six years, you see." He gestured to the bloody ghost hovering over by the Slytherin table.

"Why's he all covered in blood?" Seamus asked, rather indelicately.

'I've never asked," Sir Nicholas replied, seeming rather miffed.

A bit later, it was time for dessert. Will helped himself to a chocolate eclair. The conversation had changed to their backgrounds.

"Me mum's a witch and me da's a muggle," Seamus was saying, "So I'm half and half, really. It was a bit of a shock when he found out, because me mum didn't tell him 'til after they'd been married, apparently."

"Really?" Hermione asked, surprised, "Why not?"

"It's against the law," Neville replied, "You can only tell family members, so they technically weren't family until they were wed."

"That's a bit silly," Will said, "What happens if you find out the other person isn't okay with magic, but you've already married? Isn't divorce still looked down upon? You could get stuck in an unhappy marriage."

Hermione looked thoughtful. Ron returned the topic back to the original point.

"My family's been magical for ages, same for you, right Neville?"

"Yeah," Neville nodded, "My Gran raised me. Everyone thought I was a squib for ages. My Great-Uncle Algie kept trying to force a bit of magic out of me by pulling elaborate stunts to surprise me. He once pushed me off Blackpool pier, and I nearly drowned. But I never had any accidental magic until I was eight. Great-Uncle Algie was holding me by my ankles from an upstairs window, and my Great-Auntie Enid offered him some pie. He forgot what he was doing and let go. But I bounced, down the garden and out into the road. Everyone was so happy, Gran nearly cried. Even then, they thought I might not have enough magic to attend Hogwarts, so when I got my letter my Great-Uncle bought me Trevor, my toad, as a congratulations gift."

"What?!" Hermione nearly shrieked, "You nearly died, twice, and everyone was happy about it?"

"Gran certainly wasn't!" Neville defended, laughing, "When he pushed me off the pier, she gave him a tongue-lashing like I'd never heard before. When he dropped me out the window, she was happy at first, because I'd performed magic. But when she found out why, she nearly throttled him."

"Oh," Hermione said, deflating a bit, "It still wasn't good of your uncle to do that though."

"Gran didn't let him come over for months after the pier incident." Neville nodded.

Harry yelped.

"What happened?" Percy asked him, concerned.

"Nothing, just-" Harry paused, "Who is the Professor talking to Professor Quirrell?"

Percy looked at the Head Table, "That's Professor Snape. It's no surprise Quirrell looks so nervous. Everyone knows Snape wants the Defense against the Dark Arts teaching job, but he's currently teaching Potions. He knows a lot about the Dark Arts, Snape does."

Will leaned over to Harry, whispering, "Something wrong?"

"Tell you later." Harry whispered back.

Right about then, the desserts vanished. Dumbledore stood up, and the hall fell silent.

"Just a few announcements now that we've all eaten," He began, "As usual, all students should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to enter for students." His eyes twinkled in the direction of the Gryffindor table. "Mr. Filch has also asked me to remind you that magic is forbidden in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials will be held next week, so anyone interested in playing should let Madam Hooch know. Also, as a last note, everyone should be made aware that the third floor corridor is off limits to anyone who doesn't want to die a most painful death."

Will heard Harry laugh, then say, "He serious?"

Will nodded to him, and Percy said, "He doesn't joke at times like these. Odd, normally there's a reason things are forbidden. The forest is dangerous, full of magical beasts, that sort of thing. He should have at least told the Prefects about it."

"Now, it's time to sing the school song that we sing once every seven years! If we did it more often, I'm sure my colleagues would be most upset with me."

He was right, Will noticed. None of the teachers looked particularly happy about it. Well, except the smallest one, who was probably Professor Flitwick. Dumbledore brandished his wand, and a golden ribbon shot out. It wriggled around to spell words.

"Now, everyone pick your favorite tune, and off we go!" Dumbledore directed. Will chose 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. That came out in the seventies, right?

It was pandemonium. A cacophony of noise rose towards the rafters, as everyone finished singing at different times.

At the end, Dumbledore was left conducting the Weasley Twins as they sang a slow funeral march.

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore clapped, once the Weasley Twins had finished, "Music is a wonderful form of magic, unlike any other. Now, it's time for bed, off you go now!"

Percy directed the first years to follow him, and he led them to Gryffindor Tower. After a confrontation with Peeves, which Percy probably could have handled better, they arrived before a large portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress.

Percy gave the password, "Caput Draconis," and they all scrambled through the revealed hole. Taking Percy's directions, the girls headed up one staircase and the boys the other.

At the top, there was a door that had First Years written on it. Upon walking inside, the six boys discovered their belongings had been brought up, and their trunks were at the base of six four-poster beds. Will found his near the door on the left. Changing into pajamas, the boys hopped into bed.

As Will was drifting off, he heard, "Ugh, get off Scabbers!" Ron complained, "He's chewing my sheets!"

That brought Will up short. Wormtail.


	13. Chapter 13, Oops 2: Electric Boogaloo

Will had forgotten about Peter Pettigrew during all of the hustle of arriving at Hogwarts. He wasn't sure what to do about him, now that he was here though. Leaving Sirius in Azkaban for two more years seemed like a horrible choice, and Will really didn't want to sleep in a room with a serial killer. Does it count as a serial killing if all of them are killed at once? Whatever. Will would talk to Ron about 'Scabbers' in the morning, and see what information he could get from him. Then Will could decide whether or not to bring it to someone's attention.

A glowing hand passed through Will's closed hangings, and the rest of astral-Harry followed.

{Come on, let's go explore! Everyone else is asleep!} Harry said.

"Give me a second," Will whispered, "I gotta fall asleep first!"

Harry waited impatiently while Will got comfortable and, as soon as Will dozed off, he grabbed their bond and yanked astral-Will out.

{Careful doing that!} Will said, {You don't want to accidentally disconnect me from my body, do you?}

Harry paused, {What would happen?} He asked.

{I'm not sure, but I have a few theories.} Will replied, {None of them are good.}

Harry nodded, {I'll be careful,} He promised, then continued, {Come on, let's go!}

They headed off to explore the castle. Harry was looking at everything excitedly, but Will was just trying to memorize the way to the Great Hall from Gryffindor Tower. So far, none of the paintings had noticed them, so Will was pretty confident that they wouldn't be seen by them at least. But there was still something that was bothering him.

Will's parents hadn't seen Will's Astral Body at all, but Harry had seen a disturbance in the air when he moved (Before Will had formed the bond with him, anyway.). This led Will to believe that magical people would be able to see them, at least a little bit. They'd have to be careful. But at least in the dark, it would be easier to hide.

After exploring for a while, (Will was pretty sure he had the route to the Great Hall memorized) Harry stopped.

{Do you feel that?}

Will stopped, {Yes, a sort of pull, right?}

{Let's go!} Harry said, and floated through the wall towards the source of the pull.

{Harry!} Will yelled, diving after him. Harry really needed to learn some sort of caution.

By the time Will had caught up, Harry had found the source. It was a room, deep beneath the castle. It was filled with ghosts, apparently gathering for a sort of meeting. Except they were all silent. They were moving their hands and gesturing as if they were talking, but Will didn't hear anything.

Harry hovered closer, and it was then that the ghosts noticed them.

The Fat Friar floated over, gesturing to Harry, but there was no sound. Will was confused.

Sir Nick patted the Friar on the shoulder and moved in front of him. Suddenly, there was a tickling again, like when he had put on the sorting hat. Will reached out mentally, and was met with an avalanche. Somewhat overwhelmed, he cried out.

{Will! Are you alright?} Harry floated over to him, concerned.

After a moment though, it had subsided. Will realized he was now connected to the castle! And through it, all of the beings that were 'living' off of its ambient magic. He could even feel the House-elves in the kitchen, though they weren't close enough to talk to.

{Can you hear me now?} Nicholas said, somewhat amused.

{Yeah, I can.} Will replied.

{Who are you talking to?} Harry asked, confused.

{Reach out with your mind,} Will explained, {It's a little overwhelming though.}

{It's not a mental connection,} Nicholas corrected, as Harry cried out in shock, {It's a soul connection.}

{Soul connection?} Will replied, somewhat surprised.

{Yes.} Nicholas nodded. {This is how us spirits normally converse with each other. What you've just connected to is the Soul of Hogwarts,} he explained, {It's what allows us spirits to remain here, after we've died. Any sufficiently magical place, after enough time, begins to form its own sort of soul. This is true of most magical objects as well, though those are usually not strong enough to support spirits.} He paused.

{Now, I must say, I've never seen such strange spirits as the two of you. What manner did you die in, to come back golden?} Nicholas asked Harry.

{I'm not dead.} Harry replied, {I'm just astral projecting. I'm able to leave my body and explore.}

{Really,} the Friar breathed, {How interesting, I've never heard of such a thing before.}

{How do you speak to the living?} Will asked, {I haven't been able to figure it out.}

{That's quite simple,} the Friar said, before being cut off.

{And what sort of spirit are you?} Nicholas asked Will.

{I've heard of his kind before.} The deep voice of the Baron spoke, {He is one who has crossed over and come back to this plane, like the ones before him.}

Will paused, shocked.

{Have you come to force us to pass on?} The baron demanded, moving into Will's personal space, {We will not go quietly, as your masters well know.}

{What?} Will asked, confused. All of the other ghosts had backed away from the three of them, leaving Harry, Will, and the Bloody Baron in the center of a large circle.

{No, that's not why I'm here!} Will blurted, waving his glowing stick arms, {I swear I'm not on this plane to force you all to do anything you don't want to do.}

There was a rumbling, a murmur of quiet conversation spread through the crowd gathered around them.

{Then why have you come?} The Baron said after a moment, {Why would they send someone so obviously unprepared to this plane?}

{Yeah, I kind of jumped into this without thinking,} Will replied, sheepishly, {I volunteered to come because I'd always wanted to experience magic. My mission is to destroy Voldemort and the Dementors.}

More muttering. The Baron looked at Will for a moment, then threw his head back in laughter.

{Only a Gryffindor would volunteer for a mission he fully didn't understand, just for something so trivial.} The Baron remarked, {I see. I believe I understand the situation now. I will not stand in your way any longer.} He floated away.

Will sighed in relief. The other ghosts seemed to be a little more cautious of Will, but returned to their conversations.

Will turned, and saw Harry looking at him with a strange facial expression.

{What was all that?} He asked.

{O-oh,} Will stuttered, {The Baron was confused about something, so I explained it to him-}

{Not that.} Harry replied, a flat look on his face, {About the mission, and Voldemort, and Dementi-whats-its. About being from another plane, and having a master of some sort. What was that.}

{I wasn't ready to tell you,} Will replied, {I was going to tell you eventually, but I just-}

{Withheld information?}

Will had never seen Harry like this, so... empty. He was looking at Will like he'd never seen him before in his life. Will reached out to him, but Harry turned around and floated away, passing through the wall and out of sight.

* * *

About a week later, Will was a wreck. Well, he'd been doing alright in his classes, but otherwise he was just kind of drifting by. Harry hadn't spoken to him since their Astral-Adventure that first night. He'd been hanging out with Ron, laughing and joking. As far as Will was aware, he hadn't looked at him once.

"I still say you should talk to him," Hermione said, shoveling scrambled eggs onto his plate. She'd been a godsend this past week. Will was pretty sure he wouldn't have gotten through it without her. When she'd seen him sitting alone at the Gryffindor table that first morning, after he'd explained to her what had happened, (that they'd had a fight, but not the nitty gritty details) she'd been by his side since.

"I'm sure he just needs space." Neville said, comfortingly. Neville was a blessing too. He'd listened to Will cry without complaining and had been really supportive.

"I hope you're right, Neville." Will muttered, "I just have to believe he'll talk to me when he's ready."

"And I hope you're ready," Hermione added, looking at the two of them, "We've got double potions first thing. Everyone I've talked to has said that Professor Snape hates it when students are late, so we'll be there bright and early."

"Ooh," Neville winced nervously, "I hope I'm ready. I did as you suggested, Will, and read through the potions book a few times, but it still doesn't feel like it's going to be enough."

"You'll do fine," Hermione soothed, "As long as you keep your wits about you. Remember, slow and steady wins the race!"

"As opposed to?" Neville looked confused.

"The children's story," Hermione said, and was surprised to see no understanding on Neville's face.

"Wizards have different fables growing up, Hermione." Will said, looking at Harry down the length of the table. He looked happy at least.

"Oh, Well, it's a story about a tortoise and a hare. They decide to have a race, but the hare is a lot faster than the tortoise. So the hare gets overconfident and takes a nap before the end, and while the hare is asleep the tortoise crosses the finish line!" She explained.

"That was rather stupid of the hare," Neville said.

"Well, no one ever accused the hare of being smart." Will replied.

"And speaking of smart," Hermione said, "It'd be smart if we got a move on. We don't want to make Professor Snape mad, do we?"

They gathered their things and headed off to the dungeons.

Snape was in top form during class, making fun of Harry during the roll call.

"Harry Potter, our very own… celebrity." Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle let out some childish guffaws as if that was clever or something.

Will supposed Snape must practice his impressive speeches in the mirror, seeing as it was pretty much word for word what Will remembered from the books. Including the 'Stopper Death' and 'Dunderheads' line.

"Potter!" Snape barked, "What do you get when you mix powdered root of asphodel with an infusion of wormwood?"

Will watched Harry hesitate. Come on, they'd studied this! Will had made sure of it! Hermione, of course, raised her hand.

"I don't know, sir."

"Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it?" Will wanted to punch Snape. What kind of person uses a position of authority to belittle and insult children?! Bastards, that's who.

"How about another, then. Where would you be most likely to find a bezoar?" Okay, Harry has got to remember this one, they'd made jokes about it! "Um… The stomach of a goat, sir?"

"Oh, I guess you did open your textbooks at least once before coming." Snape smirked. He must have had enough with Harry, because he moved on.

"Weasley! What's the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?" Hermione nearly punched Will in the eye, she raised her hand so fast.

Ron looked clueless. "I dunno, sir. But Hermione looks like she does, so maybe try asking her?"

"One point from Gryffindor for your cheek, Weasley." Snape hissed. He went on, "For those of you who didn't know the answers to the questions I posed, powdered root of asphodel and wormwood infusion mix to form an extremely powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death. And Monkshood and Wolfsbane are different names for the same plant, also known as Aconite." He paused, "Why aren't you all writing this down?"

Everyone scrambled for their quills.

After Snape finished his introduction to potions, going over the safety rules and so forth, he had them split into pairs. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, there were an uneven number of students, so Will, Hermione, and Neville formed a group of three. They split the work between them. Hermione read from the book, Neville crushed and cut up ingredients, and Will stirred and added the processed ingredients to the potion. This seemed to work for them. Hermione functioned as a supervisor, keeping them focused and on time for the different steps, Neville was actually pretty good with his hands, owing to all of the work he'd put in in the Longbottom greenhouses, and Will had a good sense of rhythm and timing, keeping track of the number of stirs and being able to use both hands for different tasks simultaneously was similar to trying to sing and play an instrument at the same time.

They managed to get through the first potions lesson without any big disasters happening.

* * *

Things remained rather the same until Will woke up to find a notice in the Common Room, one explaining that Flying classes would be beginning today, and they'd be having them with the Slytherins. Great. Will knew Harry was looking forward to these, but Will was having a hard time finding the enthusiasm. The idea of flying just made him think of Harry, which made Will's emotions spike painfully.

Will knew that Hermione and Neville were both nervous for this lesson, so he'd tried to be as supportive as possible. All of the books Hermione found on the topic only seemed to make the two of the more agitated.

"It's going to be okay, Hermione, Neville, in class we'll just take it slow and steady alright?" Will soothed.

Neville chuckled. "Like the rabbit, right?"

"Hare," Hermione corrected, "and no, it was the tortoise who was slow."

"Oh," Neville laughed, "Right." Just then, an owl flew down and dropped a small package in Neville's scrambled eggs. Neville opened it to find a small sphere.

"Oh! Gran got me a Remembrall." Neville said, somewhat happy, "They're supposed to help you remember if you've forgotten something. If you hold one and have forgotten something, it will turn red!"

"Like that?" Hermione asked, pointing to the now red Remembrall in Neville's hand.

"Oh dear." Neville grumbled.

"That's kind of useless," Will laughed, "It tells you if you've forgotten something, but not what it was? How's that supposed to help? If you'd remembered what it was, you wouldn't have needed a Remembrall in the first place!"

Neville considered, then shrugged, laughing. "You're right, it is kind of useless." He set it on the table, where it was quickly snatched up by Malfoy, who had walked over. Will was about to reply, but Mcgonagall interfered.

"What's going on over here?" She asked.

"Malfoy took my Remembrall, Professor," Neville explained.

"I was just looking," Malfoy said dismissively, dropping it into Neville's hand.

"Normally, people look with their eyes, not their hands." Will said.

"That's enough," Mcgonagall interrupted, "Malfoy, head back to your table." Malfoy slunk off.

Will wondered if Malfoy and Harry had had that 'talk' Malfoy and mentioned on the train.

* * *

"Alright." Madam Hooch called, and the students gathered around her. "We've got enough brooms for all of you laying out, so just walk up next to one, go on!"

Everyone did as they were told.

"Now, stick your hand out over the broom and say UP!"

Will looked at his broom. It was a rather crooked one, missing a lot of its bristles. Welp, might as well go for it! "Up!" He called, and the broom gave a halfhearted sort of wiggle, before flopping down again.

"UP!" He cried, wishing he could just be in the air already, and the broom slapped against the palm of his hand. Whoa. He looked around at the others. Ron and Harry had their brooms already, but Neville and Hermione were struggling. Hermione's looked like a kid who didn't want to get out of bed, ignoring their mum and rolling over again. Neville's looked like it hadn't even moved.

"You have to want it, I think," Will said, and Hermione nodded.

"But I don't want it!" Neville cried, "I'd rather keep my feet on the ground, thank you very much."

"We're not going to be able to move forward if we always keep our feet on the ground," Will said, "Sometimes we have to fly, even if we don't want to. In those situations, it's usually best to think of those supporting us, who want us to succeed, and do it for them. Come on, Nev', it might actually be really fun! How will you know if you don't try it?"

"UP!" With a slap, Hermione's broom hit her hand. She smiled, and nodded to Will. "Will's right Neville, it's okay. The professor will be here to catch you, so don't worry and just let yourself have a little fun, okay?"

Neville sighed, nodded, then glared at his broom. "UP!" it was a bit more hesitant than Hermione's, but Neville's broom hit his hand.

"It looks like everyone has called their brooms, yes? Yes. So now we're going to mount our brooms. I'm going to blow the whistle, and when I do, I want you all to lightly push off with your feet. Then you'll hover in the air for a moment, before pointing the nose of your broom slightly downwards to land on the ground again, does everybody understand?" Hooch explained.

"Slow and steady wins the race, yeah?" Will whispered to Neville, and he nodded, a serious look on his face. Will looked over at Hermione, who nodded as well.

"Alright, everybody get ready!" Hooch yelled, and when they all did, she blew the whistle.

Will lightly pushed off, keeping his eyes on Neville. Neville had pushed off a bit hard, but it wasn't too bad overall. Hermione was hovering with her eyes closed. Will angled his broom down, and landed back on the ground with a thump, jarring his legs a bit. He could have done that better.

Looking over, Hermione was standing, still with her eyes closed, but with a little smile on her face. Neville's smile was anything but little.

"I did it! I really did it!" Neville beamed.

"Yes, you did!" Madam Hooch said, grinning a wide grin, "All of you did! Now, we're going to try that again, but this time we're going to hover for a bit longer, okay?"

* * *

About forty minutes later, Will and Hermione were tossing a ball back and forth to each other, on brooms a ways up. This was apparently to help with coordination and balance. They'd been split into pairs again, and Neville had been put with Ron and Harry.

"How are you holding up?" Will called, throwing the ball to her.

"I'm alright! As long as I don't look down!" Hermione called back, catching the ball with both hands. It had taken her a while to even be willing to remove one hand, let alone both.

"Good!" Will called, "Do you want to try this a bit farther apart?"

"Sure, that sounds-" She cut herself off with a gasp. Will spun his broom around.

Harry was doing a spectacular dive, and caught something small right before he hit the ground.

Will gaped. That was impressive. But Hooch didn't seem to think so. She called everyone down, and gave them a bit of a lecture. After she was done she dismissed them. As they headed inside, Mcgonagall was waiting for them.

"Mr. Potter, may I speak to you a moment?" She asked. Harry and Ron glanced at each other, but Harry acquiesced, following Mcgonagall away.

"You don't think he's in trouble, do you?" Hermione asked, worried.

"I think he'll be just fine." Will said. Hermione gave him a weird look.

* * *

Alright, this chapter was a bit hard to get out, not because of the subject matter or anything, just a bit of writer's block, I guess. Next chapter will be Fluffy and maybe Halloween?


	14. Chapter 14, Where Did the Days Go

Will overheard Harry and Ron talking about Quidditch at dinner that evening. Apparently he'd been right when he'd assumed that Mcgonagall wanted to put Harry on the team. Harry seemed excited about it, but Will wasn't so sure. A lot of the danger Harry'd been in had happened during a Quidditch match, but it also made Harry so happy. He sighed.

"Will!" Hermione exclaimed, causing Will to jump, "What has you so distracted?"

"What else?" Neville commented, "Harry, of course."

"Sorry," Will said, embarrassed, "What were we talking about?"

"Our double transfiguration lesson we just completed." Hermione explained, "Did you think my matchstick still looked a bit shiny?"

They'd moved on from simple transfiguration, matchstick to needle, and were trying to change it back. Untransfiguration was very important, Mcgonagall had said, seeing as you might need to cancel your own (or someone else's) transfiguration sometime in the future. It was a simple spell, a 'one incantation fits all' type of situation.

"It looked perfect," Will assured her.

Neville nodded, "Better than mine at least." Neville did end up with his own wand, Will had found out, but Transfiguration was still a difficult subject. Neville's matchstick had still been made of metal at the end of the lesson. Hermione was the one of the only ones who had fully completed the assignment given today.

"Mcgonagall did say that she didn't expect many of us to complete the lesson today, if any," Will told Neville. Will's matchstick had been rather pointy.

"Shh!" Hermione said suddenly, "Look, look! Malfoy is bothering Harry and Ron!"

"Oh, not again," Will said, turning to look.

"-A duel? Tonight, if you want," Malfoy was saying, "But I bet you don't even have a second. You've probably never even heard of a Wizard's Duel, have you, Potter?"

"Of course he has, and I'm his second." Ron interjected. "Who's yours?"

Malfoy looked at his two goons, "Crabbe," He said finally before turning back to Harry and Ron, "The trophy room is always unlocked, we'll see you at midnight." With that he swaggered away, his 'friends' following him. Ron and Harry turned back to each other, whispering.

"They're going to sneak out!?" Hermione whispered, outraged. "They could get in so much trouble if they're caught!"

To be fair, Will didn't care much about breaking rules either. Nor did he care much about a system of points that only fostered hard feelings and competition between the Houses. But he and Hermione had had this conversation before, and he kept his mouth shut this time. He just gave her a look. She ignored him.

"I'm going over there to talk to them." She finished.

"Hermione, no! They'll just-" Will tried, but she was already moving. He got up to follow her.

By the time he got over there, She was already talking.

"-what would happen if you got caught?! You'd lose Gryffindor a ton of points! It's really rather selfish of you."

"Look Hermione," Harry said, seeing Will approach, "At this point, it's really none of your business." He turned to Will, "Don't you have something important you should be doing?" He asked him. Will was shocked at the amount of venom in Harry's voice.

"Yeah, how about you two go do that." Ron agreed, "Goodbye."

Will grabbed Hermione's arm and began pulling her away. She turned and followed him.

"That could have gone better." Neville commented as they sat back down.

"It's definitely a trap." Will said, "Malfoy doesn't plan to meet them at all, he's just going to tell a teacher or something." Will wondered why Malfoy chose Filch to tell, you'd have thought he'd have chosen Snape.

"We have to stop them!" Hermione whispered. "I'm going to stay up tonight. Are you guys going to help me?"

"I will," Will said, hoping this wasn't going to hurt his relationship with Harry even more.

Neville sighed. "Fine," He said. "But if we're late to double potions tomorrow, I'm blaming you."

* * *

That night, Harry and Ron went to bed early. They must have been waiting for everyone else to fall asleep, because when Seamus had finally started snoring Harry and Ron crept down to the common room. As they were heading to the portrait hole, a lamp flickered on.

"Are you really going to do this, Harry?" Hermione said.

"Really!?" Ron whispered, "Are you serious?! Go back to bed!"

"We almost told your brother Percy, Ron. He'd have stopped this." She whispered furiously.

"Using the word 'we' a little strongly there, Hermione." A voice said. Harry spun around to see Will and Neville. They had followed them down, of course.

"Fine," Hermione snapped, "I almost told Percy."

"I talked her out of it," Will said, "But this is still a bad idea. It's definitely a trap."

Harry paused, but Ron laughed. "You'd say anything to get us to not go, huh." He turned to Harry, "If we don't go now, we're going to be late. I don't want Malfoy to tell everyone we were too scared to show up. Do you?"

Harry shook his head, "Let's go," and headed out the portrait hole. Ron and the others followed.

"Look," Will said, "There's no way he's actually going to be there."

"What," Harry said, spinning around, "Is this some part of your big, important mission, too?"

Hermione gave Will and Harry a curious look, but Will ignored her.

"Kind of," Will muttered. Harry gave him a disbelieving look.

"I can't believe-"

"Guys!" Neville called, stopping them all in their tracks, "We're locked out."

They all turned. Neville was right. The Fat Lady had left her painting, and until she came back, they were all stuck outside Gryffindor Tower.

"Well then, we might as well go!" Ron said, "Come on, Harry." And those two headed off. Will followed, Neville and Hermione behind.

"Oh no!" Ron stopped them, "There's no way you three are coming."

"You can't exactly stop us," Will reminded him, "And if you tried, it'd definitely make you late."

Ron paused. "Fine, but keep quiet."

Will was pretty sure they'd make it to the Trophy Room unscathed, and they did, with time to spare. Once they'd entered, Ron let out a little laugh. "Looks like Malfoy and Crabbe aren't here yet."

"They're not coming," Will explained, "it's going to be-"

"Look around, my sweet, they'll be here somewhere." A voice that was definitely Filch whispered.

Everyone froze. Filch's voice was coming from the room off of the Trophy Room, so they booked it quietly back the way they came.

But it wasn't going to be that easy to get back to Gryffindor Tower. Not long after, they ran into Peeves.

"Wee little firsties, wandering around the school at night. Peeves wonders what he should do.~"

"What can I give you, to get you to pretend you never saw us?" Will asked.

"Peeves always did like a bargain," The spirit said thoughtfully, but was interrupted by Ron.

"We don't have time for this!" Ron whispered, and he ran at Peeves.

"Ron, NO!" Will whispered, but Ron took a swing at Peeves anyway.

Peeves gave a laugh and puffed himself up, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED! THERE ARE STUDENTS OUT OF BED IN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

They ran, ducking under Peeves and sprinting for their lives. Turning a corner, they ran into a locked door. Ron tugged desperately on the handle.

"This is it, we're done for," He moaned. They could hear approaching footsteps.

"Move over!" Hermione hissed.

Will realized where they had to be, "Uh, guys, maybe we shouldn't-"

"Alohomora!" Hermione cast, and pulled the door open. Neville pushed Will from behind, and they all toppled inside, the door swinging shut behind them with a soft click.

Will was under a pile of limbs. He wriggled as best he could, trying to get out. "We need to get out of-"

Harry jumped up and pressed an ear to the door. "Shh!" Will froze. Filch must be right on the other side.

Will looked around the room, searching for Fluffy in the darkness. He wasn't hard to spot. The HUGE three-headed dog, easily as big as an elephant, was just stirring from a nap. Three sets of eyes opened sleepily, and spotted him.

"Okay, he's gone, I think." Harry said.

Fluffy began to growl. Heart in his throat, Will did the first thing he could think of, which was burst into song.

Hush now my baby,

Be still, love, don't cry,

Sleep as you're rocked by the stream.

"What are you-" Hermione turned, and saw the huge dog. She jumped, tugging on Harry's arm.

Neville had already noticed, and was frozen in fear.

Sleep and remember, my last lullaby,

So I'll be with you, when you dream.

Already, Fluffy's eyes were drooping, heads nodding. He slumped back to the floor. By now, Harry and Ron had spotted the dog as well.

River, oh River! Flow gently for me,

Such precious cargo you bear.

Harry slid the door open, and everyone started to back out slowly.

Do you know somewhere he can be free?

River, deliver him there.

Will finished, right as the door closed in front of him. They all turned and burst into a sprint, running all the way back to Gryffindor tower.

"My, you're all out late." Thankfully the Fat Lady was back. "What have you been-"

"Never mind, please let us in. Pig snout!" Harry said, giving the password.

The portrait swung open and they all scrambled inside, breathing heavily.

"That… was way too close." Will muttered.

"How-" Hermione panted, "How did you know to do that?"

"What?" Will asked. Neville had collapsed on the floor.

"Singing." Hermione said, "How- how did you know that would put him to sleep? For that matter, what song was that? I've never heard it before."

"The River Lullaby, from the Prince of Egypt," Will said, straightening up. "My mum used to sing it to me to go to sleep."

"The Prince of Egypt?" Ron asked.

"A movie," Will explained, "It's a muggle thing. Explain it to you later."

"I've never heard of that one before." Hermione said thoughtfully.

Well, it's-" Will said, and froze. When did that movie come out again? It was in the nineties, right? Was it even out yet? Speaking of which, wasn't it his mum from his last life that sang it to him?

"Never mind that," Harry said, and Will was never as thankful for a change of subject as he was now, "What was that thing? And why was it in a school?"

"It was standing on a trapdoor, so I'd guess it's guarding something." Hermione said.

"How'd you even notice that?" Ron asked, "I was too busy being distracted by its heads!"

"Anyway," Hermione said, remembering why they'd been out in the first place, "Will was completely right. Malfoy set you up. If we hadn't gotten so lucky, we all could have been caught. We could have even been killed! Or worse, expelled from Hogwarts!"

"Hermione," Will chuckled, "I think dying is worse than being expelled from a school."

"Whatever," Hermione said, still upset, "I'm going back to bed, and I suggest you all do the same. We have double potions in the morning. Goodnight!" and with that, she headed up the girl's stairs.

"I can't believe we got away with that," Neville said, still shocked. He had finally gotten up off of the floor.

"I know," Harry said, laughing.

"That was a pretty good adventure," Will nodded, "But maybe we should wait a bit before having another one."

"You're probably right," Harry nodded, smiling. They looked at each other, and for a moment it almost seemed like everything was back to the way it was before. But then Harry seemed to remember where he was, and the smile slid off of his face.

"I'm going to bed." Harry said, and turned, going up the boy's stairs. Ron followed behind.

Neville clapped Will on the shoulder, "He'll come around. Let's get to bed."

Will nodded and followed Neville up the stairs.

* * *

Will was surprised and dismayed by the fact it was already Halloween. That meant it'd been two months since they'd started Hogwarts, two months of not talking to Harry. He'd been having to use a school owl to send letters home, and when his parents had asked why he'd had to explain that he and Harry weren't talking right now. They'd been supportive of him, but also recommended that he try to patch things up. Unfortunately, Will had no idea how. Every time he tried to approach Harry, he would falter. There was really no excuse for it, he had been lying to Harry the whole time he'd known him, after all.

Harry seemed happy, hanging out with Ron. He was probably going to Quidditch practices as well, if the long, thin package Harry had received by owl one morning at breakfast was any indication.

Halloween was on a Thursday this year, and that meant that they had Charms right after breakfast. Will had a feeling this would be a disaster. He was right.

The relationship between Ron and Harry, and Hermione, had been getting rockier ever since school had started, it seemed. Will had thought that he'd helped them form a friendship on the Hogwarts Express, but weeks of getting on each other's nerves had frayed things to the point that even little things would spark an argument. That's why, when Flitwick had placed Ron and Hermione together to work on the levitation spell, Will had a bad feeling. Things wouldn't go exactly as they had in the books, would they?

But they did, pretty much. After Charms, and Hermione trying to help Ron with his pronunciation, she had overheard Ron say, "She's a nightmare. It's no surprise she doesn't have any real friends," and had run away crying.

Will rounded on Ron, "That was completely uncalled for. All she had done was try to help you, albeit a bit abrasively. She had your best intentions at heart and you repay her by bullying her? Stop acting like Malfoy and start using your head." Will stormed off after Hermione.

* * *

He missed second period, Herbology, trying to find her. He knew she was in one of the girl's bathrooms, but which? He'd expected it to be the one closest to the Dungeons, seeing as that's where Professor Quirrell said he saw the troll, but he found her in the one on the third floor. Which, after thinking about it, made some sense. She must have run to the nearest bathroom, and why would Quirrell tell the truth about where the troll was when sending them on a troll-hunt was more efficient?

He knocked on the door to the stall Hermione was in.

"Go away!" Hermione yelled.

"Hermione?" Will called softly.

There was a pause. "You're not supposed to be in here, this is the girl's bathroom!" She sputtered.

"Well, I want to be there for you. So I'm willing to break a rule or two to do so." Will said.

"You know how I feel about that, we've talked about this!" She said, still upset.

"Sorry, but I'm not leaving." Will told her, and sat down on the floor. The next class, double transfiguration, must have started by now.

There was quiet for a while, broken only by some sniffles.

"You're really my friend, right?" Hermione asked, softly.

"Of course!" Will said, "I'm sorry if I've ever done anything that would make you think that I'm not!"

She spoke wetly, "You haven't, not really."

Will paused, "Then why did what Ron said hurt you so bad? Anyone can see he must be off his rocker if he thinks what he said was in any way true."

There was a pause. "It's happened before." Hermione admitted, sniffling. "They were just using me for my coursework, and I was so happy to have friends I didn't realize it. It took them laughing in my face to get me to understand what was going on."

Will stopped, "I'm sorry, Hermione. It's terrible that happened to you. But you know it's not true now, right?"

"Yeah, I do." She said, hiccuping a bit, "It's just- when Ron said that it kind of brought up all of those old feelings. It's silly, I know-"

"How you feel isn't silly," Will gently corrected, "Feelings are a big part of what makes up who you are. And I like who you are, Hermione."

Hermione giggled softly, "I like who you are too, Will."

"How about this," Will said. It was probably still safe to hang around here a bit longer; it wasn't until after the Halloween feast started that the troll appeared. "You take some time to calm down, and when you feel like it, we can go get something to eat, okay? I'll be here when you're ready."

"Sure." Hermione chuckled wetly. Will leaned on the stall next to Hermione's, waiting. After a while, Hermione came out, wiping her eyes. She gave Will a little hug.

"Thank you for waiting." She said.

"No problem," Will chuckled, "Let's go see if the feast has started yet, I'm famished."

As they stepped outside the bathroom, Neville called out to them.

"There you are! I've been all over looking for you." He ran up, holding some food wrapped in napkins.

"What are you holding?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Oh, these?" Neville said, bashfully, "I wasn't sure if you wanted to come to the feast or not, so I thought I'd bring you guys something."

"Thank you Neville! That was really thoughtful, but I'm feeling better now, so-"

"Wait," Will said, interrupting, "The feast has started?"

"Yes," Neville nodded, "There's still some time, so if you guys want to go we can-"

"We need to get out of here." Will interrupted again, "Now. Let's hurry."

"What? Why?" Hermione asked, looking at Will with a strange expression.

"Let's just say there's a bit of an issue-" Will started, but stopped when he smelled it.

"Ugh, what is that?" Neville said, "My eyes are watering."

"Troll," Will said, as it came around the corner, down the corridor from them. It spotted them and bellowed, smashing its club on the floor.

"Run!" Will shouted, and they took off down the corridor. The troll chased them, surprisingly fast.

"It's gaining, what do we do?" Neville screamed.

Will pushed over a suit of armor, causing it to fall into the troll's path. The troll stumbled on the armor pieces, and they used the time to gain some distance.

Rounding a corner, Will nearly ran into Harry and Ron, who had come from the other direction.

"Run!" Will yelled, and grabbed their hands as he ran, pulling them along.

"What are you-" Ron cut himself off as the troll rounded the corner, after them. It raised its club, swinging it low to the ground at Harry. Will pushed Harry out of the way.

A huge impact hit Will's leg, sending him flying into the wall, forcing out the air in his lungs. He was in a lot of pain, his whole left leg was on fire from the hip down.

"WILL!" Hermione screamed, running over to him. The troll noticed her as well and raised its club again.

"Hermione, look out!" Harry yelled, and then did something very stupid. He jumped onto its back, sending his wand up its nose. Will wasn't even aware that Harry had drawn his wand. He wasn't much aware of anything, really. Mostly just the pain in his leg. He was pretty sure all of the bones in it were shattered.

Ron was visibly panicking, and Neville seemed catatonic. Hermione fluttered over Will, crying.

"Ron!" Will yelled, "The club!" That was about all he could do before he passed out.

* * *

Next, Will wakes up in the Hospital Wing, and Harry and Ron fill Will, Hermione, and Neville in on what's been going on. Also, Will and Harry have a long overdue chat.


	15. Chapter 15, Let's Talk About It

I'm kind of struggling with one of the pitfalls of writing this kind of story, namely, falling into the habit of just rewriting the books with an added Will. I'm trying not to follow the original books too closely, and when things go exactly the same I usually leave it out. I'm also trying to not make things too needlessly dramatic, but considering what's been going on in the story I'm not sure if I've succeeded. That all being said, the first book is going to follow canon pretty closely. After that I'm pretty open to suggestions as far as plot points go, but I do have some ideas.

* * *

Will awoke suddenly. He slowly sat up and looked around. It took a moment, but he realized he must be in the infirmary when a woman wearing white robes approached him.

"Mr. Nelson, good. You're awake," She said. This must be Madam Pomfrey.

"What happened?" He asked, last thing he remembered was the-

"The troll!" He shouted, "Is everyone alright?"

"You were the only one injured," Madam Pomfrey replied as if he hadn't shouted at her, "All of the other students were unharmed."

Looking outside, Will was surprised to see daylight. "What time is it?" He asked, confused.

"You were attacked by the troll last night, and were brought to me unconscious by Professor Snape. I had to vanish the bones in your leg and regrow them due to how badly damaged they were. That's an overnight process, I'm afraid. I decided it was best to keep you unconscious for it, seeing as re-growing bones is rather painful. Let me give you a quick once over to make sure you're alright, then you're free to go." She said, and waved her wand over him. A bunch of colors and shapes appeared in front of her.

"Hmm, that's odd," She said, confused, and waved her wand again. The same thing popped up again. "Strange."

"Something wrong?"

She scrutinized him. "Well, your leg seems to be fine, so I'll let you go. You'll find that breakfast has begun already, so if you hurry you'll be able to eat with your Housemates before today's classes begin."

Will nodded, and after thanking her left the Hospital Wing. He stopped by Gryffindor tower to grab the things he'd need for the day and headed to breakfast. Upon entering the Great Hall, he saw Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville all eating together. He walked over, and when Hermione saw him he waved.

"Will!" She yelled, standing up to give him a hug, "You're alright!" Harry was smiling at him, that was a good sign, right?

"Yeah, Madam Pomfrey fixed me right up," Will said, shrugging. "I'm good as new."

"That's a relief," Neville said, "We were worried it was serious when you didn't come back last night."

"She just needed to keep me overnight to regrow the bones in my leg," Will said, somewhat sarcastic, "Not a big deal."

"Regrow the bones?!" Harry yelped, "They can do that?"

"Apparently," Will shrugged again.

"Anyway, we've got a lot to tell you!" Hermione said, before sitting him down and leaning in towards the others.

Everyone else leaned in as well, and they explained what had happened last night.

Apparently, after he passed out, Ron levitated the club and dropped it on the Troll's head. Soon after, Mcgonagall, Snape, and Quirrell appeared. Snape left with Will to take him to the Hospital Wing, and while he walked away they noticed that he was limping. Mcgonagall asked them what had happened, and Hermione lied and said that she had been homesick and missed the feast while Neville and Will had been comforting her, and Ron and Harry knew that they didn't know about the troll. Mcgonagall had been almost impressed that a bunch of first years had taken down a troll, and had given them five points each, totaling in twenty-five points for Gryffindor.

And Harry was apparently considering him a friend again, seeing as they filled him in on what they thought was under the trapdoor. Harry and Ron had seen an article in Hagrid's cabin telling about the Gringotts break in, and Harry had remembered the grubby little package he and Hagrid had picked up during Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley.

"Why would Hagrid just leave an important clue like that just lying around?" Will wondered aloud.

"It was rather careless of him," Hermione said, considering.

"Maybe he'd been reading it before we arrived?" Ron asked, shrugging.

"The article would have been a week old at that point," Will reminded.

"Okay, so he was rereading it," Ron said, "That's not what's important here. Do you have any idea what was in the package?"

It was about this big," Harry mimed a shape roughly the size of an orange.

"I'd need to do some research into magical artifacts," Hermione mused.

"I know of a few things," Neville said, "But none that would be so important for Dumbledore to need to guard it personally."

"Or so dangerous," Ron added.

"Or both," Will agreed.

"So what do we do?" Hermione asked, and everyone looked at Harry.

"What, me?" Harry said, surprised, "Why should I decide?"

"You've kind of been taking the lead on this already," Will said, shrugging.

"You're the one who noticed it in the first place, and brought it to our attention." Hermione added, "You must have some ideas already."

They decided to do some research in the library, and to ask Hagrid if the chance ever came up.

"Subtly!" Will reminded.

* * *

Neville was still a bit shaken up, and Will did his best to comfort him through double potions, which was the only class they had that day. They got through without melting any cauldrons, thank Merlin. He was looking a bit better by the time class ended.

"Hoo, that could have gone worse," Neville breathed.

"Could have gone better, too," Will joked, smiling at Neville.

Neville chuckled, "Yeah, that's true." He paused for a moment, then looked at Will, "I'm glad you're okay, Will. I don't know what I would have done if a friend of mine had died like that. Or worse, ended up like-" He cut himself off.

"I'm okay though," Will said, smiling, "Not a scratch on me anymore, see." He spun around.

"I'm still a little dizzy from the potion fumes, stop spinning around, you'll make me sick," Neville laughed.

They had the afternoon off, so Will took the chance to also talk to Hermione, to see how she was doing. Better, apparently. Ron had actually apologized to her about what he'd said, and Hermione accepted. She'd also impressed Harry and Ron with her willingness to lie to a professor, so she'd decided to loosen her stance on breaking school rules 'just a little bit.'

"I guess I've realized that not all rules are perfect, and sometimes there are things that are more important than following the rules to the letter." Hermione said, considering.

"That's a rather mature outlook," Will commented, "The ones who made the rules are people too, and so can make mistakes as well. Not all rules apply perfectly to all situations, after all." He turned to smile at her.

After that, Ron took the time to apologize to Will as well. He'd apparently been under the impression that Will was a bad person, one who had taken advantage of Harry by lying to him. After the troll, Ron had confronted Harry about why he even wanted to save someone who had been taking advantage of him, and Harry set him straight. Will was a bit shocked by that, and asked if Ron knew what Harry and he had fought about. He didn't, he just knew that Will had been lying to Harry for a long time. Will had accepted Ron's apology as well, saying it was 'water under the bridge'.

"Water under... what? What does that mean?"

"It's a muggle saying I guess. It means that something in the past is in the past. Like a river flowing under a bridge, the water that ran by a while ago doesn't have any bearing on the bridge in the present. It's best to leave the past in the past, and to not let it drag you down, that sort of thing."

"I see," Ron nodded. "You're a pretty wise person, Will."

"It's not exactly wise to just parrot back phrases when the situation fits," Will laughed, "But thank you for the compliment, Ron."

It was only after everyone had gone to bed, that Harry approached Will. He did so in astral form, funnily enough. Will hadn't felt like astral projecting since he and Harry had had their fight, so this was the first time he'd done it in a while. About two months, right?

Will followed Harry up onto the roof of Gryffindor tower. They lay back and looked at the stars for a little while.

{I'm glad you're okay,} Harry said finally, turning to look at Will. {When I realized you guys didn't know about the troll, my heart felt like it had fallen into my stomach.}

{You should have seen us when the troll appeared.} Will said, smiling a little, {I about threw up my heart, myself.}

Harry paused again, looking out over the lake, {I realized yesterday that I never really gave you a chance to explain anything. I was so upset that I just took off, and that wasn't fair to you.}

{It's okay,} Will started to say, {I did lie to you after-}

{No, it's not.} Harry softly interjected, {We've known each other for about two years now.}

{Nineteen months but who's counting,} Will chuckled, and Harry joined him for a moment.

{I still should have given you a chance to explain.} Harry said, {I've known you for nineteen months, and in all that time, all you've done is try to help me. So I'm sorry. If you'd like, I'd like to hear your explanation, and hopefully we can be friends again.}

{I'd like that,} Will said, and explained as best he could.

He told Harry about how he'd died, and went to where-ever that foggy place was. How he'd met his grandmother, and she'd given him an opportunity to travel to a different dimension, but only if he promised to fulfill a mysterious entity's mission. How he'd woken up in the body of a brain-dead child, and how bad he felt about how he'd basically taken over this kid's entire life. How he'd lied to everyone because of how scared he was that they'd reject him. And how he'd decided to be Harry's friend, because he knew how badly Harry needed one.

{I would have left you alone if you'd decided you didn't like me or something,} Will explained, {I'd have tried to complete my mission from the shadows or something, I don't know.} He looked away, over the lake, {It's probably good we're in astral form, otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd be crying right now.}

{Well, we can't have that,} Harry chuckled, {You're an ugly crier.}

{Hey! Nobody looks pretty when they cry!} Will said, shoving Harry by the shoulder. He laughed and shoved Will back. They sat back and another moment of silence occurred.

Harry broke the quiet, {So, you're from another dimension.}

{Yep.} Will nodded.

{You're possessing the brain-dead body of Will Nelson, and you were sent here on some crazy mission by someone you didn't even get to meet, just because you wanted to see real magic.} Harry said.

{Yep.} Will nodded again.

{Man, you are a Gryffindor, you just jump in headfirst, don't you.} Harry chuckled.

{What, no comment on how I've stolen the body of an innocent child?} Will asked, somewhat surprised.

{I never got to meet that Will, did I?} Harry asked, {I only ever have known you. You're the one who decided to put aside some important mission just to make me feel better.} He stopped, considering, {Besides, it's not like anyone was using the body anyway.} He added.

{Harry!} Will burst out, laughing, {You can't just say things like that. This is really serious.}

{I know,} Harry said, {I'm just trying to make you feel better.}

They fell quiet again for a moment.

{So… you're okay with all of this?} Will asked hesitantly.

{I'm not going to lie, it is a lot.} Harry said, {But yeah, I think I am.}

{Good,} Will said, hesitating, {Because there's one more thing.}

{Really.} Harry deadpanned, {There's more?}

Will nodded, {In my dimension, there's a book series called 'Harry Potter.' It's a record of your life, all of the major points in it, anyway. If sometimes it seemed like I knew something before it happened, that's because I did.}

Harry blinked, {I'm in a book? There's a book series about me?}

{It's a really popular children's book series,} Will added, {There's been movies and everything.}

Harry laughed, {I don't really think I'm that interesting, but if you say so.} He nodded, {So you know everything that's going to happen?}

{Sort of,} Will said, {There's no character named Will Nelson in the books. Just by being here, I'm changing things. I don't know if my future knowledge will be all that useful in the long run.}

{Any knowledge would be useful,} Harry said, {I feel like I'm constantly playing catch up, here.}

{That's because you pretty much are,} Will laughed, before sobering, {But I'm not sure if I should tell you everything right now, or wait until the right moments to give the information out. If we change too much right away, my future knowledge could become useless.}

Harry seemed to consider for a moment. {So, things are going to get pretty dangerous, huh.} Will nodded solemnly. Harry scrutinized Will's face for a moment, then turned away. {Wait for the right moments, I think. I know you'll watch my back, so I'm not scared if you're there to help. Well, not too scared, anyway.}

Will sighed. He wasn't sure if it was in relief or not. {Okay, we'll do it that way then. Do you know what we should tell the others? I was planning on telling everyone that I can see the future, and give hints that way, but I don't really want to lie anymore. I also don't want to burden them with the truth though, either. I'll leave the choice to you, okay?}

Harry nodded. {We don't have to decide right away, do we? I kind of just want to keep it between us for now.}

Will shrugged, {That's okay with me, but I think Hermione is close to figuring something out. What that something is though, I have no idea. She keeps giving me these weird looks.}

Harry looked back at Will, {Is there any future hints you can give me right now?}

Will considered, before deciding, {Be really careful at your first Quidditch game, okay? Try to stay low to the ground when you can.}

Harry nodded. He got up and floated in front of Will. {We should probably actually go to sleep now. It's getting pretty late.} He offered Will his hand, and Will took it. They floated down through the roof, heading back to their sleeping bodies.

* * *

This one's shorter than the last couple chapters have been, but it felt like a natural stopping point.


	16. Chapter 16, Sportball

So, Quidditch! I have to admit, sports are not really my 'thing', so while Quidditch is admittedly more interesting than most sports, it's still not one of the things that truly captivates me about Harry Potter. That's reflected in my writing, I'm sure. So while things will change throughout the books, Quidditch games are not going to be one of them, I think. It's just easier for me that way.

* * *

October passed into November, and with it cold weather came. Will was pretty used to snow, and magic made it pretty easy to keep warm. His mum had splurged a bit and had bought Will and Harry temperature-regulating cloaks, ones that kept you at a comfortable temperature no matter the weather. They pretty much looked like one of the Hogwarts Uniform cloaks, so unless you knew a lot about Wizarding fashion, you probably wouldn't notice a difference. Harry, Will, Ron, Neville, and Hermione were huddled under them, trying their best to keep warm. Although the enchantment on them didn't work as well if more than one person was using them, with an added jar of blue flames that Hermione had conjured up they were pretty toasty.

As they sat in the courtyard, they saw Snape approaching. He was definitely limping, like Harry had said. He also had an angry scowl on his face and Will was pretty sure he was walking over just to find some way to bully them. Will was right. He'd confiscated the jar of blue flames, saying it was against the rules to be casting spells without supervision. Thankfully he didn't seem to notice that the cloaks weren't uniform.

"I'll be taking five points from Gryffindor for this." Snape gestured to the bottle of fire and walked away, bottle in hand.

"Did he seriously come all the way over here just to pick on us?" Will asked, not really surprised.

"It's fine," Hermione said, "I can make another one later."

"What do you think happened to his leg?" Neville asked.

"Well," Will said, "I'm pretty sure he got bit by Fluffy."

"Fluffy?" Neville asked, confused.

"The three-headed dog?" Will reminded, "Harry said Snape was limping on Halloween, right? The troll was probably let in as a diversion so someone could try to get to whatever the dog was guarding." Will was sure they'd assume that Snape was the one doing that. Because really, Snape made it easy for them. Why didn't Snape go to Madam Pomfrey if he was innocent? Pride? He looked up to see everyone staring at him.

"What?" Will said, "I'm pretty sure the theory is sound."

"I was just staring because I can't believe you named that monster." Ron admitted.

"Why would Snape try to steal something from Dumbledore was guarding?" Hermione asked, "I know he's not very nice, but I'm sure he wouldn't do something like that."

"I think Will's right," Harry said, giving Will a look, "It makes sense. But all I'm wondering now, is what exactly that dog is guarding?"

"Fluffy." Will reminded.

"It doesn't matter what you named him," Ron interjected, frowning.

"I didn't name him," Will said, "That's just his name!"

Hermione gave him a look, "Then who did? And for that matter, how do you know?"

Will just shrugged.

* * *

When the day of Harry's first match had arrived, Will was a little regretful. Harry was a nervous wreck it seemed, and was having trouble even eating breakfast. This had happened in the books too, but it seemed worse having to actually watch it. Maybe he shouldn't have told Harry anything.

After breakfast, Will whispered to Harry, "Should I not have told you?"

"It's okay," Harry responded, shaking his head, "I'm sure I would have been nervous anyway. This just makes it a bit more serious, is all."

Will grimaced sympathetically.

Once it was time for Harry to get ready for the game, Will the others walked him down to the locker room and headed up to wait in the stands. The seats were already filling up, and they grabbed a seat at the top of the Gryffindor section next to Seamus and Dean. They could see the whole stadium from here, and Will had brought binoculars. They'd also banded together with all of the first year Gryffindors to make a large banner that Dean had drawn a large lion head on, and they were going to wave it so that Harry could see.

Once the game started, Will watched the action through his binoculars as best he could, but everything just happened so fast, it was a little overwhelming.

"Move over, tha' s'right. Budge up a bit, would yeh?" A familiar voice said.

"Hagrid!" Ron called, and they all squeezed together to give him room to sit.

"Bin watchin' from me cabin," Hagrid said, "Not as interestin' as bein' in the stands now, is it? 'Ow's Harry doin'?"

"There's been no sign of the snitch yet," Ron reported.

"Harry's pretty much been flying around looking for it, but so far there hasn't been much for him to do." Will added. Harry had been keeping low, like Will had asked him to, but he was still about level with them at the top of the stands.

"Wait, I think he's seen the snitch!" Hermione yelled, and Will did his best to find Harry with his binoculars. Something must have happened, because the Gryffindor stands erupted with boos.

"What happened?" Will asked. He'd missed it!

"Flint blocked Harry from getting the snitch!" Ron yelled, visibly upset.

"Red card! Red card!" Dean was yelling, "Send him off, ref!"

"This isn't soccer, Dean," Will reminded, "The referee can't send players off of the field."

"Maybe they oughta be able to," Hagrid commented, "Flint coulda really hurt Harry wi' tha' one."

But Will wasn't listening anymore, he had gone back to watching Harry. It was about time for Quirrell to do his thing.

Will was right. Harry's broom was going out of control. Every time someone tried to help him, his broom would go higher. Will looked to the professor's stand, and saw Quirrell and Snape both with their eyes fixed on Harry, mouths moving.

Hermione had snatched Hagrid's binoculars and was scanning the crowd as well. "It's Snape, he's jinxing the broom!"

"Could be Quirrell too," Will added, "They're both looking at Harry while muttering."

"What do we do?" Ron asked.

"Leave it to me," Hermione said, and headed off.

Will kept his eyes on the professor's stand, and after a bit, Quirrell jumped up, patting his robes, then Snape did as well. Switching over to watching Harry, Will saw him descend quickly, then cough up the snitch.

"Game's over," Will sighed, leaning back as the stands erupted around him.

* * *

"It was Snape! He was jinxing the Broom!" Ron yelled.

"Or Quirrell," Will added. They were all in Hagrid's hut, drinking tea.

"Codswallop. They're Professors, they are. Dumbledore wouldn'ta hired them if they weren't trustworthy."

"Dumbledore is a person too," Will said, "He can make mistakes, just like any of us."

"Snape did try to get past the three-headed dog on Halloween," Neville said.

"And Quirrell was there too," Will reminded.

"How'd all o' yeh know about Fluffy?" Hagrid asked, shocked.

"You named him?" Hermione cried, before turning to look at Will. "Did he tell you?"

"Nope," Hagrid said, "I haven't talked about this with any of yer, and I'm not gonna say anythin' more."

"But they're trying to steal whatever is being guarded there!" Neville cried.

"Rubbish," Hagrid dismissed, "Why'd they wanna go an' do a thin' like tha'?"

"They both just tried to kill Harry," Ron reminded.

"One or both of them was definitely trying to jinx the broom," Hermione said, "I know a jinx when I see one. You have to keep your eyes on your target, and neither was blinking."

"One of them could have been casting a countercurse," Will added.

"Or more likely, they were both tryin' to cast a countercurse." Hagrid said dismissively.

"Then why did the jinx stop as soon as they both were distracted?" Hermione pressed.

"Listen, all o' yeh," Hagrid said seriously, "Yer meddlin' in things tha' are dangerous, now. Yeh'd best forget about that dog, an' forget about what it's guardin'. That's strictly between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicholas Flamel-"

"Oh, so there's someone named Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?" Harry said triumphantly.

Will sighed, "We need to work on your subtle, Harry."

* * *

"How did you know?" Hermione rounded on Will once they had left Hagrid's Hut.

"Know what?" Will asked, nervously.

"That the dog's name was Fluffy, that singing would put it to sleep, or anything else you seem to pull out of nowhere!?" She pressed.

Will looked at Harry. Harry sighed, and nodded.

"I may have some future knowledge," Will said, turning back to Hermione.

Ron spluttered, "You can see the future!?"

Will shook his head, "I can see a future. The future where I didn't come to Hogwarts."

"What does that mean?" Neville asked.

"It means, if he changes too much in the present, the knowledge he has will become obsolete, right?" Hermione asked, "That makes sense. Well, as much as anything makes sense nowadays."

"Yes," Will nodded, "It's a constant balancing act, honestly. Trying to figure out just how much to say so that it'll help, but not too much so as to change the future to be unrecognizable. Harry and I have an understanding that if there's something I can tell him that can help, I will. I can make the same agreement with all of you as well."

They all fell silent, continuing to walk back to the castle.

"Wait," Hermione said suddenly, "Harry, that means you knew about this?"

"I told him about a month ago," Will replied, "After we made up. It's part of what we fought about, actually. He knew I was keeping secrets from him."

"I see," Neville nodded, "Is there anything you can tell us right now?"

"Uh," Will said, "I can say Harry's going to get a very special Christmas gift, if what I've seen is still correct."

Ron laughed, "Really, that's it? From you, I imagine?"

"Nope," Will said, chuckling, "From Dumbledore. It was something that belonged to his parents."

That brought Harry up short, "Really?" he breathed.

"Yep!" Will laughed, "It's really cool, too. It'll be one of the coolest things you own, actually."

"I guess that's convincing," Hermione said, "We'll see if it's true, come Christmas time."

"Do you not believe me?" Will asked.

"Well, it makes more sense than what others have told me about the Divination classes offered here." Hermione replied, "I've never really understood how tea leaves and crystal balls are supposed to help predict the future."

"They don't," Will said, "Not really, the gift of sight is one that you either have it or you don't. It can't be taught. I'm pretty sure I don't even have the sight, not truly."

"Then why offer a class?" Hermione asked, "If it's something that can't be taught?"

"I don't know," Will chuckled, "It would make more sense for it to be a professor who was brought in when a student clearly has the gift, then for it to be a class offered to all students. Though Professor Trelawney has made some true prophecies, apparently. So she's not a complete hack."

"Will!" Hermione said, "Don't talk about a professor that way."

"You'll understand, come third year," Will said, grinning.

"Wait, what happens third year?" Neville said nervously, "Will!"

But Will had taken off running. They could probably hear him laughing as they ran to catch up.

* * *

In the blink of an eye, the Christmas season was upon them. With Hermione, Will, and Harry going home for the Holidays, and Ron and Neville signing up to stay at the castle, Will had told them that if they didn't figure out who Nicholas Flamel was by the time they were back at Hogwarts he'd give them a hint.

"Wait, so you know who he is?" Ron asked, "Why don't you just tell us?"

Will considered, "I suppose I could," he said finally, "It wouldn't change much. Would you rather I did that?"

"Sure," Harry nodded, "It would save us some trouble, after all." Hermione seemed a bit disappointed, probably because they wouldn't be spending quite as much time in the library, but nodded as well.

"Nicholas Flamel is an alchemist. He's actually famous enough to be known in the muggle world."

"Wait, muggles know about him?" Neville interrupted, "Isn't that going against the Statute of Secrecy?"

"It isn't if he was famous before the Statute was put in place," Will said, smiling.

"What?" Ron was definitely confused, "He'd have to be ancient! How's he still alive?"

Will turned to Hermione, "Hermione, do you know what the purpose of alchemy was?"

She nodded, "It was to discover a way to turn metal into gold, and a way to achieve immor-" She cut herself off, "He did it? He figured out how to become immortal?"

"He invented something known as the Philosopher's Stone," Will nodded, "Said to be able to turn common metals into gold, and able to create something known as the Elixir of Life, that if drunk regularly will allow you to live forever. Many have tried to recreate it, but so far no one has figured it out. Flamel is the only one who's successfully created one."

"No wonder Snape wants it!" Ron said, "Who wouldn't?"

Will still didn't tell them that Snape was completely innocent. He had a sneaking suspicion that Quirrell, or maybe Voldemort, was practicing Legilimency on the students. In order to keep his friends safe, he wasn't going to tell them until this was over. He would hint at it, to keep them wary of Quirrell, but not so much that they'd be sure it was him. He didn't want to know what Quirrell would do to them if he thought they were truly onto him. To keep himself safe, he'd been avoiding Quirrell's eyes. No need to make Quirrell suspicious by revealing he had an empty head.

* * *

When Christmas morning dawned, Will and Harry woke bright and early. They headed downstairs and met Liam and Alice waiting for them. Dad had made pancakes, and Mum gathered them around the tree to open presents.

"Now, we got some gifts by owl, so they're added in here too." Dad informed them.

Will tore off the wrapping on his gifts, while Harry always unwrapped by removing the tape and unfolding the paper. Will thought it was a bit silly, but wasn't going to say anything if Harry wanted to indulge in some sentimentalism.

Will had gotten some new CD's and books from his parents, while they'd gotten Harry a Quidditch Starter Kit. Liam had gotten some model cars and trains, and Alice had gotten an expensive looking doll set. Will's Dad had even built her a dollhouse, complete with working lights. Hopefully Liam and Alice's accidental magic didn't completely ruin the mechanics needed to run both of their gifts.

Hermione had gotten them both a large box of chocolate frogs, probably in reference to the train fiasco, and Ron's mum had given Harry the first traditional Weasley's sweater. She hadn't gotten Will anything, but Will wasn't that surprised. He'd spent a large part of the school year so far not talking to Harry and Ron, and Ron had said he had thought Will was a bad person. He'd probably told his mum about it. Maybe next year she'd give him something. Hagrid had given Will and Harry matching wooden carved flutes.

But the shining star of the Christmas gifts was definitely the gift Harry unwrapped last. Once Harry had thrown the cloak on, everyone had let out a gasp.

"Wicked!" Liam said reverently.

"What? What is it?" Harry said, then looked down. "Whoa! No way!"

"What is it?" Dad asked, looking at the cloak.

"An invisibility cloak," Will said, "A rather special one, too."

Will caught the note that fluttered down from the cloak. He handed it to Harry to read.

Harry read, and as he did, his eyes welled up. "It belonged to my Dad," he whispered.

"Oh, Harry." Mum said, and gave him a hug, "I'm so happy for you. I know what this means to you."

"And maybe this way they won't get into too much danger," Dad added, smiling wryly. Mum had apparently gone spare when she found out about the troll.

"Yes, that too," Mum said, pulling back to wipe her eyes.

"Can I borrow it when I get to Hogwarts?" Liam asked. He'd apparently taken a bit of a liking to the Weasley Twins from Will and Harry's letters, and was probably hoping to emulate them.

"You can ask," Will said, "But if Harry says no, you have to accept that. Also, don't go around telling anybody about this, or he won't let you borrow it at all." Liam looked serious, and nodded.

Will looked at the cloak. He'd been wondering about what to do with the Hallows, more specifically the Resurrection Stone. He probably wanted to keep Dumbledore from putting it on, but he just wasn't sure how. The only way he could think of was to tell Dumbledore the truth, and that wasn't something he was sure he wanted to do. There were lots of fan theories about him, and the one that scared him the most was the idea that he'd raised Harry like a pig for slaughter. It even made sense, and that's what had him worried. The idea that Dumbledore was looking at this like a chess game, and was willing to sacrifice pieces to win. That was something Will wasn't willing to agree with. Ever.

"Will?" Harry asked.

Everyone else had headed to breakfast. He must have been staring off into space for a while.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine!" Will said, smiling, "Let's go eat breakfast!" They headed to the kitchen together, and had a good time laughing and joking with their family.


	17. Chapter 17, Norbert the Magic Dragon

It had been a bit of a surprise, when Will had first seen the Thestrals on the way to the train station before winter break, because he hadn't expected to be able to see them at all. But as he thought about it further, it did make some sense. Thestrals were only visible to those who had seen death, and Will had definitely seen death, having been dead and all.

What didn't make sense was how the Thestral that had pulled their carriage kept looking at him. The one pulling the carriage this time was doing it as well, as they rode back to Hogwarts after the break.

"What are you looking at?" Hermione asked.

"The Thestral pulling our carriage keeps looking at me," Will told her.

"Nothing's pulling the carriage," Hermione said, "They move by themselves."

"Thestrals are invisible," Harry replied. He must remember reading about them in Newt Scamander's books during the summer wait, "I didn't realize they pulled the carriages, though."

"So invisible creatures are pulling the carriages?" Hermione asked skeptically, "Why can Will see them then?"

"They can only be seen by people who've seen death," Will explained.

"Oh," Hermione fell silent for a moment, "What do they look like?"

"A bit like if a winged horse turned into a zombie, but they have bat wings instead of feathers," Will replied, "They're also a bit bigger than most winged horse breeds. Frankly, they're a bit unnerving."

Hermione shook her head, "I'm glad I can't see them then."

"They're actually quite docile for carnivores," Will said, "They don't mind being pet or ridden."

"I still think I'd rather not," Hermione said, shuddering a bit.

"Are you sure?" Will asked, smiling a bit, "They're really quite remarkable. They have an inborn sense of direction, like post owls. They can carry at least two people on their backs while flying, and can fly incredibly fast. They could fly from Hogwarts to London in a few hours."

"Really?" Harry asked, impressed, "Not even my broom could do that. That's nice to know. We could use them if we ever need to get somewhere fast."

When Will got out of the carriage, he gave the Thestral a pat and the horse? nuzzled up to him, wuffling. Alright, they were pretty cute. He decided to visit them later, down by the forest. He'd see if he could help Hagrid feed them or something.

* * *

Harry, Will, and Hermione found Ron and Neville in the common room, and Will filled them all in on what would have happened if Harry had stayed at Hogwarts over the break.

"Harry would have found a mirror named the Mirror of Erised, a mirror that shows your deepest desire, and Dumbledore would have told Harry he was moving it somewhere else and not to go looking for it again. People have died in front of it, wasting away from just spending all of their time staring at their one true desire. It's deceptively dangerous, that mirror. Harry was especially susceptible to it, due to what he saw. Ron not so much."

"What did I see?" Ron asked, curiously.

"Do you really want to know?" Will asked, "Are you alright with everyone here knowing your deepest desire?"

"Just tell me, it's fine." Ron said. Harry nodded.

"Ron saw himself as Quidditch Captain and Head Boy, holding the Quidditch and House cups. Harry saw himself surrounded by his family." Will said, finishing solemnly. Ron had a bit of an embarrassed look on his face.

"Ah," Harry said, "I can see why I'd want to keep looking at that." He had a look of longing on his face, even now.

"There's something in the works that will make up for you not being able to see that," Will said, "I think there's a gift coming your way you'll like." Harry nodded, a curious look on his face.

As Harry's next Quidditch game approached, they'd been troubled with rumors of Snape refereeing the match. Harry had been working himself into a right state until Will told him that Dumbledore would be attending. It ended up being a quick game, Harry caught the snitch in only a few minutes, Ron gave Malfoy a black eye, and Will and Neville managed to fend off Crabbe and Goyle while only getting a few bruises. The most interesting thing happened after the game.

Once Will, Neville, Hermione, and Ron had found Harry after the game, he'd told them about a conversation he'd overheard between Snape and Quirrell.

"So Snape is trying to get information out of Quirrell, either to get the stone for himself, or to stop Quirrell from getting it." Harry finished.

"I still can't believe that Quirrell might be devious enough to do something like this," Ron said, "He's just so… pathetic. He'd have to be a master actor."

"And willing to give us a substandard education on top of that." Hermione added. That was probably the most unforgivable thing, for her at least.

"Either way," Will said, "Neither of them seems to have figured out how to get past Fluffy yet, so that's good."

"But you said something about Snape referring to Quirrell's 'hocus pocus'," Neville said thoughtfully, "That probably means there's other things protecting the stone as well, spells, enchantments, traps, stuff like that."

"Hopefully all of it is enough to stop whoever is after the stone." Harry said seriously.

* * *

As far as they could tell, neither of the professors had figured it out yet, and as the weeks went by, things remained pretty standard. Will had started heading down to meet Hagrid a few times a week to help him feed the Thestrals. They were rather fond of Will surprisingly. The little ones would frolic about, trying to get him to play with them, and the adults would nuzzle him and let him pet them. They did have a very short coat, so it wasn't like they were unpleasant to touch or anything. They just felt like velvet stretched over a horse skeleton. He did wonder how they stayed warm, though. Magic probably.

Hermione had started freaking out about the approaching finals, though they were still a few months away. They'd been spending more time in the library to study for them, partially to appease Hermione, and partially because they probably should study for them. It was during one of those sessions that they saw Hagrid in the library.

"What are you doing here, Hagrid?" Ron asked.

"Just lookin'" Hagrid said suspiciously, "What're you lot up to, not lookin' up stuff about Nicholas Flamel, are yeh?"

"We figured that out ages ago," Ron said, waving his hand, "We also know what the dog's guarding too, it's the Philosoph-"

Hagrid put a hand over Ron's mouth, "Shh! Not so loud!"

Will sighed, "We need to work on your 'subtle' too, Ron."

"But it's good to see you here, there was a few things we wanted to ask you," Harry said, "About the other protections for the- the object. We know about Fluffy, but what else-"

"Not 'ere!" Hagrid shushed, "We don' want other students knowin' things they aren' supposed to know. Look, come see me later. I'm not promisin' to say anythin', mind, but it's best not to talk 'ere, unnerstand?"

He left in a bit of a hurry.

"What was he up to, in the library?" Neville wondered. Ron ran over and looked at what section he'd been in. It was the dragon section, obviously.

"What could he possibly want with books on dragons?" Hermione wondered.

"You're not going to like this," Will muttered.

Harry gave him a side-look, before saying, "Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he's told me so before. Could he have actually gotten his hands on one? It's illegal, isn't it?"

Ron nodded, "My brother Charlie studies Dragons in Romania, and he's told me there's all sorts of permits needed or you can get in a lot of trouble."

Will thunked his forehead on the table.

* * *

Later, they went down to see Hagrid and, as Will feared, there was a huge black egg in the fire.

"So," Harry said, "About the protections around the stone. We were wondering what they were, apart from Fluffy."

"You know I can' tell yeh tha'," Hagrid said, "Dumbledore's trustin' me to help protect it. Besides, I don't even know wha' they are."

"But you know everything that happens around here, Hagrid," Hermione said, in her best flattery voice, "You may not know what the protections are, but I bet you know who placed them?"

The flattery seemed to be working, because Hagrid had blushed, "Alright, I do know that Professors Mcgonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout have all placed somethin', and Dumbledore himself as well. There's Fluffy, o' course, and Professor Snape and Quirrell did somethin' as well, I think."

"Snape!" Ron nearly shouted.

"You're not still on abou' tha', are yeh? He's tryin' to protect the stone, he's no' abou' to try an' steal it."

"Who else knows about how to get past Fluffy?" Neville asked, "None of the professors, just you, right?"

"Jus' me an' Dumbledore!" Hagrid said proudly.

"And you wouldn't tell anybody else, right?" Harry asked.

"O' course not!" Hagrid seemed a bit offended.

"Can we talk about that, now?" Will said, pointing to the egg.

"Oh, Hagrid," Hermione sighed, "You didn't."

"I did!" He said triumphantly, missing her dismay, "Won it off o' a stranger at the Hog's Head, las' night."

"What's going to happen when it hatches?" Will asked, "How are you going to take care of it, Hagrid? Dragons are huge!"

"That's wha' I got these books fer!" Hagrid said, pulling out some library books, "They're a little out o' date, but-"

"Hagrid, what happens when it starts breathing fire? You live in a wooden house!" Hermione exclaimed.

But it seemed that Hagrid had selective listening, "This book said to keep it in the flames, the mummy dragons breathe fire on 'em, see? An' this page shows how to tell wha' dragon breed it is from the egg. This 'ere egg is a Norwegian Ridgeback, I think. It'll be a real beaut' when it hatches. Once it does, I'm to feed it a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken's blood every half hour. See? I got everythin' well handled, don't yeh worry none."

They all looked at each other as Hagrid turned back to stoke the fire.

* * *

After they left, Will turned to the others, "Here's what we're going to do, okay? Ron, your brother works at a dragon preserve, right? Can you contact him about this? Just sound him out and see if he'd be able to take a baby dragon on such short notice, without getting in trouble." Ron nodded, "I'm going to talk to Professor Mcgonagall in about a week. That way, Hagrid will at least be able to see the dragon hatch. Hermione, will you come with me to talk to Mcgonagall? She likes you, and sees you as responsible." Hermione blushed a bit, and nodded. Will nodded, "While we're waiting for the dragon to hatch, let's see if we can find any information about the permits needed to actually own a dragon. Who knows? Maybe this is actually really simple, and we're making a big deal out of nothing."

It was a big deal, actually. The permits needed to actually own a dragon were ridiculously difficult to get. All sorts of standards were needed to be met just to hold a dragon temporarily, not even mentioning the ridiculous standards that needed to be fulfilled just to have a single dragon long term. Will had no idea how the dragon preserves kept up with all of the unnecessary red tape. There was no way Hagrid was going to be able to keep this thing.

It was about a week later that Harry received a letter with the words 'It's hatching' scrawled on it. Will managed to keep Ron from spilling the beans in front of Draco, and after classes they ran to Hagrid's hut.

"Get inside, quickly, it's nearly out!" Hagrid had said upon seeing them, and ushered them inside.

The egg had deep cracks in it, and there was something moving inside. All at once, the egg fell open and the dragon flopped out. The books were right; it did look like a crumpled umbrella. Hagrid crooned to it, chuckling when it sneezed out a few embers.

They spoke to Hagrid a bit about him giving up the dragon, but Hagrid was too enamored to listen.

A couple days later though, Charlie had come through with flying colors, and they'd created a plan that once the dragon's hatched, they'd meet him and some friends at the top of the Astronomy tower at midnight. They explained the plan to Hagrid, through the door as apparently 'Norbert' was in a bit of a tricky stage, and he'd cried but agreed.

* * *

After they left, Will took Hermione to talk to Mcgonagall.

"Professor Mcgonagall," Hermione began, "We were hoping to talk to you about a delicate situation."

Mcgonagall raised an eyebrow, but ushered them inside her office. She sat behind her desk and gestured to two armchairs for them to sit. "How can I help you?" She asked.

"So, hypothetically, let's say you knew one of your friends was doing something that could get them into a lot of trouble," Will started, "You knew your friend had only the best intentions at heart, but they hadn't fully thought this situation out, and things had the potential to become dangerous, for them and for others. You might have a plan that could solve the situation, but you'd have to break a few rules to do it. "

Mcgonagall sat up a bit straighter in her chair, "I would say that it would be a good idea to go to an adult. Hopefully they will be able to handle the situation before anything bad happens."

"Yes," Hermione replied looking nervous, "But suppose the friend doesn't really want advice, believing they can handle things on their own, and that the person in question is an adult themselves, what then?"

A strange look flashed across Mcgonagall's face, and she put her head in her hand, "This isn't a hypothetical situation, is it."

"No, ma'am." Will said, nervously.

"This is about Hagrid, isn't it." She replied.

"Yes ma'am," Will nodded.

"What has happened this time?" Mcgonagall asked with a sigh.

"Hagrid may have gotten his hands on a baby Norwegian Ridgeback." Will muttered.

Mcgonagall drew herself up, "What?" She said, her voice frighteningly calm. "How? …Never mind, that doesn't matter. You said you had a plan?" She shook her head.

"We've been in contact with Ron's brother Charlie, who works at a Dragon Preserve in Romania, he's said that he'll be able to take the dragon, but he can't be seen doing it. We're to bring the dragon to the top of the Astronomy tower at midnight this Saturday. We just didn't want to get in trouble, but Hagrid could get in a lot of trouble if this got out, and-" Hermione rattled off. She was panicking a bit, Will suspected. He put a hand on her arm to try to calm her down.

"I understand," Mcgonagall said, putting a hand up for Hermione to stop, "I'd prefer for Hagrid to not get in trouble myself. How many people are aware of the dragon and the plan?"

"You Professor, Will and I, Harry, Neville, Ron, Hagrid of course, and Charlie and his friends." Hermione counted off on her fingers.

"How about this," Mcgonagall said, "We wait for Saturday, and the three of us go up to Astronomy tower together, alright? That way, nobody has to get into any trouble." She paused as if something had just occurred to her, "How big is the dragon, exactly?"

"It just hatched a few days ago, so not very?" Will said, unsure. He hadn't actually seen the dragon since it had hatched.

Mcgonagall seemed relieved, "Good, that shouldn't be hard to transport. I'll have to let the Headmaster know of course, but I don't see any issues with doing things this way. I'll also be having a word with Hagrid about what sort of creatures are acceptable around a school."

Will feared he might have just released a storm upon poor Hagrid.

* * *

Okay! We're getting near the end of book 1 now. Do you guys want me to add the chapters for the next books here? Or create different stories for each book? I'm open to suggestions, on pretty much anything, really. Next chapter will have them taking Norbert to the Astronomy tower, maybe all of the way to Will and the others going through the trapdoor. We'll see.


	18. Chapter 18, A Daring Plan

The transfer of Norbert(a) went well. With Mcgonagall's help, they got down to Hagrid's with minimal trouble. Hagrid was waiting outside with a large crate, looking a bit cowed.

"Have you said your goodbyes Hagrid?" Mcgonagall asked. Hagrid blew his nose into a large handkerchief and nodded.

Will felt bad, this was definitely better than the alternative, but- "Can Hagrid come with us? That way, he can talk to Charlie and his friends. They'll be able to reassure him that the dragon is going to a good home."

Mcgonagall looked between Will and Hagrid, and then sighed, "Alright, just try to be quiet. We don't want to wake the whole castle."

Hagrid beamed, "Thanks Will, I know I was mad at yeh earlier, but this means a lot to me. I'll find a way t' make it up to yeh, I promise." Will smiled at him.

"Should we get going?" Hermione asked, looking around nervously.

"I suppose so, you students need to get to bed, and midnight is fast approaching," Mcgonagall said. Hagrid lifted the large crate he had prepared, some ripping noises coming from inside.

Hagrid blushed at the look Mcgonagall gave him, "I packed him a teddy bear so he wouldn't get lonely for the journey."

Mcgonagall led them all to the top of the Astronomy tower and, after a bit of waiting, Charlie and his friends appeared. They seemed excited. Hagrid was not.

"He'll be happy there, righ'?" He asked, sobbing, "The other dragons won' pick on him, will they?"

Charlie gave Hagrid a hug. Huh, guess they were close during his Hogwarts years. "He'll be fine. We have a nesting Norwegian Ridgeback mother that will be willing to adopt him. She won't be able to help it, just one look and her instincts will kick in. He's going to be just fine."

"But maybe Hagrid can come visit sometimes?" Will piped up, looking hopeful.

Charlie looked thoughtful, and conversed with his friends a bit, "We can probably make that work, but not until summer I'm afraid."

"That'll work for me too," Hagrid said, now smiling a little through the tears, "I couldn' come until summer anyway."

Hermione looked relieved, "And that way, you'll be able to take some time and look around, and see how happy he is there!"

Charlie nodded. "We'll get… Norbert did you say?, Hooked up to this harness we rigged and we'll be off."

As they lifted off, with the crate holding Norbert(a) strapped between them, they waved and turned, flying away.

Will, Hermione, and Mcgonagall stayed with Hagrid as he sobbed, watching until they were no longer visible in the sky.

* * *

The next morning, Will filled the others in on what would have happened.

"So Harry, Hermione, and Neville would have gotten detention and lost one hundred and fifty points for Gryffindor." He finished.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. She probably had some idea how bad it was.

""The whole of Gryffindor house started to shun you guys, well, except Ron." Will said. "You ended up having that detention with Hagrid and Malfoy in the Forbidden Forest."

"The Forbidden Forest!?" Harry said, "Isn't that place off limits?"

Will shrugged, "Maybe Mcgonagall didn't know what Hagrid was having you do. You were looking for something in the forest that is killing the unicorns, by the way." In one of his trips to help Hagrid feed the Thestrals, Will had confirmed that it was happening this time as well. Will had told him to be careful.

Hermione was pale, "What would want to kill a unicorn?" She whispered. Neville nodded, pale as well.

"Harry and Malfoy had a run in with it, and saw it drinking a unicorn's blood," Will continued, "Malfoy ran off, and it attacked Harry, but he was saved by a centaur named Firenze. He told Harry that whatever was drinking the unicorn's blood was doing so to stay alive. Unicorn blood, when taken unwillingly, has properties that will keep a person alive, but only barely. They'll be cursed for the rest of their existence, living a sort of half-life. Can you think of someone who would be willing to do that?"

Everyone was pale. Harry gasped suddenly, "Voldemort," He said. Will nodded. Neville looked about ready to pass out.

"But we're safe as long as Dumbledore's here!" Will said, at their frightened faces. "Voldemort won't make a move unless he's gone."

"It makes sense," Hermione said, "That's why Snape wants the stone."

"To bring back his master!" Harry said, "We thought he just wanted to get rich or something this whole time, but he really wants to bring back Voldemort!"

"Can we stop saying the name?" Ron said, looking paler and paler.

"Anyway, there's nothing we can do right now, and we've got some studying to do. Finals are coming up, after all." Will finished.

* * *

With finals upon them, they buckled down on their work. Will though he did pretty well, all in all, once finals were over. He was pretty sure Harry did better this time around as well. They were all sitting around outside, talking, and Harry was rubbing his scar.

"Is it hurting?" Will asked.

"It has been for a while now." Harry said, "I think it means danger's coming."

"It functions as a connection to Voldemort," Will informed him, "Giving you little warnings as to what he's up to." Will glared at the scar. He hated that thing.

Ron couldn't get worked up about the name, seeing as he was too hot.

"Thankfully, finals are over," Neville said, "We have some time to relax."

But Harry jumped up. "We need to go to Hagrid's. Now."

"What?" Hermione asked, sensing the tension, "What is it?"

Harry looked at Will, and Will nodded. He knew what Harry was thinking, and he was right.

"Isn't it strange that Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, and some guy just so happens to be carrying one around in his pocket?" Harry asked, already heading off. The others raced to catch up with him.

"It was a trap, to catch Hagrid's attention," Will added, "To try and get information out of him."

Harry knocked on Hagrid's door. He answered.

"Hello, you lot! Here for a drink?" Hagrid asked.

"Unfortunately not Hagrid," Will said.

"We've got some questions for you, if that's alright." Harry said, frowning.

"Sure," Hagrid said, confused, "But are you sure you don't want to-"

Harry cut him off, "What did the guy you got the dragon look like?"

"I don' rightly know, he kept his hood up, see?" Hagrid said, and they all stared at him, "You get those types 'n the Hog's Head sometimes, it's not tha' strange."

"What did you talk about? Hogwarts?" Will asked.

Hagrid looked pensive. It was probably hard to remember exactly what they'd talked about so long ago. "It might've come up. I think he asked what I did, an' I told him I was the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, and he asked what sort o' creatures I looked after here. He kept buyin' me drinks, so everythin's a little fuzzy, but I think I said I'd always wanted a dragon. Then he tol' me that he had a dragon's egg, and we could pay cards for it, so we did. He wasn't to be sure I could handle a dragon though, so I said, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy-"

"Was he interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, voice deceptively calm.

"How many cerberus' do you see 'round these parts?" Hagrid laughed, "'Course he was, so I said, that Fluffy was easy if you know the trick to it. Jus' play him a bit o' music and he goes righ' to sleep- I shouldn't have said that. Hey, where're yeh goin'?"

They'd all taken off, running back to school. They ran into Mcgonagall while looking for Dumbledore's office.

"What are you all doing inside?" She asked, arms full of books.

"We need to speak to Headmaster Dumbledore," Hermione said bravely.

Mcgonagall said, "He received an urgent message from the Ministry of Magic and left about ten minutes ago."

"Now?!" Harry yelped, "He's gone now!?"

Professor Dumbledore has many important duties and can't be expected to-"

"Okay," Will butted in, "But this is about the Philosopher's stone, someone is going to try to steal it."

Mcgonagall was so shocked, she dropped her books. "How do you-"

"Do you remember the dragon Hagrid had?" Will continued, "He told the person he got it from that Fluffy goes to sleep if you play him music. The stone is in real danger."

Mcgonagall magicked up her books and grabbed them. "I don't know how you all know about this- but thank you for informing me. I'll try to let Headmaster Dumbledore know that he should come back right away. In the meantime, the stone is very well protected, so you don't have to worry. Why don't you go and enjoy the sunshine outside."

Almost immediately after, they ran into Snape, but all he said was suspicious and unhelpful nonsense. Why did he have to be such a drama queen?

Will didn't know if there was more than one way for someone to get the stone out of the mirror. It's very possible that with enough time, Voldemort could get the stone and be on his merry way. And with Mcgonagall being dismissive and Snape unhelpful, it looked like it was up to them. They'd tried to talk to some of the other teachers, but Mcgonagall had found them outside the teacher's lounge and threatened to give them detention that night if they didn't go outside. So they crafted a plan to go through the trapdoor, while outside, of course.

Unfortunately, the cloak would only fit four of them, so Neville stayed behind. He was sort of happy about that, actually. He would wait an hour, then find Mcgonagall and tell her what had happened. They'd take whatever punishment, just as long as the stone was safe. Will had also informed them about what the traps would be beforehand, and Neville gave them all of the information he had on devil's snare before they left.

So, inching their way slowly to the third floor corridor,they ran into Peeves. Harry was able to trick him into letting them go by pretending to be the Bloody Baron, and they finally made it to the right door.

They could hear growling from the inside, so Will started to sing, even before they opened the door.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.

Remember me to one who lives there.

She once was a true love of mine.

As they inched inside, Fluffy didn't so much as twitch. Closing the door behind them, they threw off the cloak.

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.

Without no seams nor needlework,

Then she'll be a true love of mine.

They inched around Fluffy's sleeping form, and found the trapdoor. Thankfully Fluffy hadn't fallen asleep on top of it.

Tell her to find me an acre of land.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.

Between salt water and the sea strands,

Then she'll be a true love of mine.

Carefully, they opened the trapdoor, trying to make as little noise as possible. Looking down, all they could see was darkness, but they knew that the Devil's Snare was waiting at the bottom.

Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.

And gather it all in a bunch of heather.

Then she'll be a true love of mine.

Ron nodded, then jumped down. Harry gave him a moment to get out of the way, then quickly followed. After another pause, Hermione followed.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.

Remember me to one who lives there.

She once was a true love of mine.

Will finished off, then jumped. The fall seemed to take a while, but who knows how long it really was. Magic, ya'know? As soon as he landed, he jumped up and ran over to where the others were waiting, away from the grasping vines. Hermione had already summoned some blue flames, and they headed down the passageway to the next obstacle.

Catching the right key was easy when you knew which one to look for, and had Harry the-wonder-flier Potter with you. Unfortunately, they couldn't bring the brooms with them.

"Why supply the brooms at all though?" Will asked, "Why not make them leave and come back with their own? Isn't the point of this to make it as difficult to get through as possible? Why is it so easy?"

Next was, of course, chess. Will was terrible at chess, so he would leave this one to Ron. He had a couple of suggestions though.

"Ron, can you make Harry the king? It's important that we have him for what's coming up."

Ron nodded. "Okay, Harry'll be the king, Will, you be that bishop over there, Hermione the castle next to it, and I'll be a knight."

The pieces he gestured to moved off of the field.

"One more thing Ron," Will said, stopping him before he could move, "I'm going to be the knight, okay?"

The game played the same as Will remembered, though it was a little more alarming to see the huge chess pieces in real life. As they destroyed one another, the bits of shattering stone would slice cuts on their arms and faces as they flew by. Nobody was left completely unmarked by the time Ron cried out.

"NO! Will, was this on purpose!?" Will looked at Ron and nodded. He wasn't going to let one of his friends get hurt if he could help it.

"What!? What is it!?" Hermione asked, frantic.

"I need to be taken." Will said, serious.

"NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted.

"It's okay, I'm going to be fine. I'll be knocked unconscious. It's probably going to hurt, but I'm going to be fine after. Maybe a quick trip to Madam Pomfrey is all." Will assured them. They didn't look very relieved.

Will stepped forward, and the white queen advanced. While she was approaching, Will had a thought. He'd never tried it when he was unconscious before, only when sleeping. Maybe-

The white queen swung her arm and after a ringing in his head, all Will saw was black.

* * *

Will became aware of a strange feeling, something like warmth, he supposed. He'd felt this before, where-

"Will! You've done amazing so far sweetie!" A familiar voice said. It was Grandma!

"Grandma?" Will asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I've been watching you, just so you know. I'm very proud of you. Do you remember that glowing orb I gave you before this all started?"

"Yes, why?" Will hadn't figured out what it was yet. It had disappeared when he woke from his coma.

"It was a gift from the upper brass. They created it for whoever decided to take the mission. A bit of extra insurance, I suppose you can call it. It's a sort of energy. It's similar to Harry's protection from his mother, but yours works on spirits that have been fractured the same way that Voldemort's is. You'll be able to do some damage to him in his spirit form, maybe physical form too, though I'm afraid the only way to get rid of him for good is to get rid of his Horcruxes."

"Really?" That sounded pretty neat. "Is astral projecting part of it?"

"Not exactly," His grandmother explained, "Astral Projection is just a sort of natural consequence from throwing a soul without a body together into a new body and adding magic into the mix. Though it's interesting you've been able to teach someone else how to do it. Once his soul knew how it felt to be out of a body, it was able to replicate it without too much trouble. But be careful if you teach anybody else, it is a bit dangerous, what you're doing."

Will nodded, and his Grandma went on, "There's a reason the ghosts were afraid of you before, you know. Upper brass has sent people on missions here before, and gave them similar powers. They were to send the spirits that haven't moved on to the other side, though upper brass doesn't really care about that too much anymore. Let them do what they want, it's not a big deal. If this is what they truly want then they're fine where they are for now, and they're not hurting anyone. If anything, you should enlist their help. They might know something we don't."

Will made a face, "What about Peeves? I'm pretty sure he's not going to help, willingly anyway."

"Well, as far as we can tell," Grandma said, thinking, "Peeves and other Poltergeists are a bit different from other spirits. They're different in that they've never really been alive in the first place. They're born from surplus magical energy, especially in places with lots of young people. Got to get all of that mischief from somewhere."

"What about the Thestrals?" Will asked, "Why are they so attached to me?"

"You release a sort of aura that other creatures associated with death can feel," Grandma explained, "So creatures with a strong magical sense will all react differently. Thestrals, ghosts, phoenixes, vampires, banshee, and maybe unicorns too will all be attracted to you. Other creatures with a strong magical sense, such as Werewolves, Goblins, or Hags might be slightly off put by you. It depends on the individual, really though."

Will nodded, and Grandma continued, "About the dementors, they're really going to be the biggest part of your mission here. From what we've gathered, Harry Potter and Dumbledore will have the Horcrux thing handled, though if you want to get involved you can. The thing about Dementors is that no one is really sure where they come from, or how they continue to multiply. That energy I mentioned before should be useful here as well. It's a sort of ability that shapes itself to your wishes a bit, so hopefully that will help."

She smiled at him, "We're all really proud of you, you know? Just don't tell too many people about everything, okay? Only those you trust." Will nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you later, okay honey?" Grandma said, and hugged him again, "Ooh, I've missed you. Be careful okay? And take care of your friends. You've picked out a good group. They'll take care of you as well."

Will nodded and found himself floating above his body. Not much time must have passed, because he was still on the square where he'd been brained by the white queen. As he watched, the queen grabbed his legs and dragged him off of the board.

Harry was looking at him, shaken. In fact, Ron and Hermione were looking at him as well.

Will gestured to them while looking at Harry.

"Don't move!" Harry yelled, as Ron and Hermione started to...Will wasn't sure. He was focusing on forming a bond between him and them. Why didn't he ask the ghosts how to talk to the living while he had the chance?

{Hermione? Ron? It's just me, Will.} Will said softly. Trying not to spook them. They spooked a bit anyway.

"We need to finish the game first," Harry said, "Then we can explain."

Ron nodded and moved three spaces diagonally left, "Checkmate!" He called out.

The White King let his crown fall, and Harry ran over to check on Will's body.

"You're not dead." He called with relief. Will was relieved as well. He turned to Hermione and Ron, the former of which was looking at him curiously, the latter somewhat suspiciously.

{I can astral project, meaning I can leave my body. I'm still connected to it, see?} He gestured to the glowing cord tailing to his body.

"I've never heard of astral projection before," Hermione said curiously. That wasn't really a surprise. When Will and Harry had first entered the magical world, they'd tried to sneakily ask around about it, but nobody they talked to had ever heard of it either.

"Can we fully explain this later? We need to keep moving," Harry said, "Can you get back in your body?"

Will hovered a bit closer to his body, before stopping, {I get the feeling if I do that right now, I'll be unconscious until my body wakes up. Let's leave it here, and we can come back for it later.}

Everyone nodded, and they moved into the next room. It stunk. In a familiar way, of course. They moved past the troll, and into the Potions room. The fires flared up in both doorways.

"Here you go Hermione," Ron said, "This one's on you." Will couldn't remember which bottle was which, so he asked Hermione to figure out the riddle. She did so in record time.

"The smallest will allow us to go forward, and this round one will allow us to go back." She said, gesturing to the two bottles.

"There's only enough for one person to drink to go forward," Ron said, dismayed. Will had a suspicion that the bottles filled up after use,or the little one would be empty right now. He wasn't going to tell the others that, though. No reason to give Voldemort hostages to force compliance.

Harry gestured to the round bottle, "Ron, Hermione, you two drink the one to go back. Get Will's body to Madam Pomfrey, and find Mcgonagall. Hopefully she'll have Neville with her and will have contacted Dumbledore. I'll drink the one to go forward. Will, can you come with me in astral form?"

Will tried to pass through the wall, but was unable to. He was able to pass through the flames however. He nodded to Harry, and everyone drank their potion. Well, Ron drank first, then Hermione, but whatever.

They all walked through the flames and made it to the other side. Of course, the one waiting wasn't Snape.

* * *

Next is the battle with Voldemort, Will has a talk with Dumbledore, and explains astral projection to his friends.


	19. Chapter 19, Blinded by the Light

Longest chapter yet, I think!

* * *

It was Quirrell, of course. Will knew that already, and Harry knew it was a possibility.

"You!" Harry shouted, and Quirrell turned to face him. Will had hidden in a corner as soon as a chance was available. Didn't want to give up the information that Harry wasn't alone too soon.

"Me," Quirrell said, smirking slightly, "I did wonder if you'd appear tonight Potter."

"Looks like Will was right," Harry said, "As usual. Ron was sure it would be Snape."

"Yes, Snape does seem the part, doesn't he. With him around, who would suspect poor st-st-stuttering P-p-professor Quirrell?" Quirrell snapped his fingers and ropes formed to bind Harry.

"We still knew it might be you," Harry muttered, "And that means, Snape was trying to save me, at the Quidditch game."

Quirrell laughed, "Yes, he was. Too bad your friend ended up setting him on fire. Maybe next time he'll just leave you to die. He does hate you, after all."

"Why would he try to save me then?" Harry asked. They'd come up with a plan, before all of this started. Keep whoever it was distracted. Keep them talking, keep their attention away from the mirror.

"Oh, some sort of debt he had to your father. It never really interested me to be honest, I was only interested in the stone." Quirrell commented. He turned back to the mirror.

"I saw you and Snape talking, in the woods," Harry said, trying to draw his attention, "He seemed like he was threatening you."

"He was," Quirrell said shortly, "Wanted to find out how much I'd learned. He caught on to my plans, you see, back when I let the troll in."

"You did," Harry said, "As a distraction?"

"Clever, Potter. Yes, I needed to get check out the defenses around the stone. That mangy dog stumped me for a while, but I was able to trick the information out of Hagrid anyway."

Evil people always did like to monologue. Will wasn't surprised.

"This mirror is quite interesting though, too bad I don't have further time to study it." Quirrell said, running a finger around the outside. "I'll be far away from here by the time Dumbledore gets back. Unfortunately you'll be dead by then Potter, you and your little friend in the corner there."

Will was shocked, he was certain that those he hadn't formed a bond with would only see him if he moved. How did- Ah! Legilimency. Of course. That means he's reading Harry's mind right now. Uh oh.

"Astral Projection. How fascinating. Your friend is very bright to have figured it out, though he did have help it seems. What was his name again? Oh yes, Will." Quirrell laughed, "He guessed I might be behind this. I wondered for a while if I should kill him just to get him out of the way, but there'd be too much scrutiny if a child went missing."

"Leave him alone!" Harry shouted.

"You're very brave, Potter. But unfortunately for you that isn't going to help you tonight. Now, I see myself presenting the stone to my master, but where is it? Should I break the mirror?"

"USE THE BOY." A voice rasped, and Will and Harry shivered. That sound was like ice down his spine.

"Potter, come over here." Quirrell directed, and unwillingly Harry slid over in front of the mirror.

Will was terrified. He'd hoped Dumbledore would have been here by now. Where was he?

Harry turned to look at Will, he was scared as well. Will was sure by this time, the stone would be in his pocket.

"What do you see?" Quirrell whispered.

"Well, you dead, for one." Harry said, probably a bit too brave at the moment, but what's done is done, "And me with a long and happy future ahead of me now that Voldemort's gone."

Quirrell threw Harry aside and stood in front of the mirror again, "Useless boy." He hissed.

Harry's bindings were loose! Maybe they could make a run for it, hopefully Harry's potion won't have worn off. Will and Harry moved towards the door.

"HE LIES." Came the terrible voice again.

"Potter!" Quirrell yelled, and Harry froze. Against his own will, he was dragged back to Quirrell. Will followed reluctantly. He wasn't just going to leave Harry here!

"LET ME SPEAK TO HIM."

But you aren't strong enough yet, let me-"

"I AM STRONG ENOUGH FOR THIS."

Quirrell turned around and removed his turban. The flesh beneath looked diseased, and in the middle was a disgusting face.

"HARRY POTTER, DO YOU SEE WHAT I HAVE BECOME? A MERE SPIRIT, FORCED TO INHABIT THE FLESH OF ANOTHER, MUCH LIKE THAT FRIEND OF YOURS. HE AND I ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT."

Will felt like he might throw up. He didn't know how that would work in astral form, but he was about to figure it out.

"I AM FORCED TO DRINK UNICORN BLOOD TO SURVIVE, A CURSED HALF-EXISTENCE." He said, "BUT WITH THE ELIXIR OF LIFE I COULD TRULY LIVE AGAIN. NOW GIVE ME THE STONE IN YOUR POCKET."

"NO!" Harry roared.

"DO NOT BE A FOOL, IT IS BETTER TO LIVE AND SERVE THEN TO DIE. NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE SCREAMING FOR MERCY LIKE YOUR PARENTS YOU WILL GIVE ME WHAT I DESIRE."

"You're a LIAR!" Harry yelled, still held in place by Quirrell's magic.

Voldemort paused, "I DID ALWAYS VALUE BRAVERY. YES, THEY DIED BRAVELY. YOUR FATHER DIED FIRST, PROTECTING YOU, BUT YOUR MOTHER NEEDN'T HAVE DIED. SHE DIED PROTECTING YOU AS WELL. NOW, UNLESS YOU WANT TO WASTE HER SACRIFICE YOU WILL GIVE ME THE STONE!"

"Never." Harry said, as firm as Will had ever seen him.

"QUIRRELL." The voice commanded, and Quirrell lunged at Harry. As he did, the fire in the doorway was extinguished suddenly, and Dumbledore, Mcgonagall, and Snape appeared.

Will flew between Harry and Quirrell, trying to keep his hands off of him, but Quirrell's hands went right through Will.

Quirrell started screaming suddenly, "My hands, I cannot hold him!" And his hands were blistering, burning. Harry lunged at Quirrell this time his hands going directly for his face.

Will didn't want this for Harry, he didn't want his first kill to be at eleven. He didn't want Harry to have to suffer through that ever. Will looked deep within himself, looking for that power he was supposed to have, a power that was moldable to his will.

A warmth erupted from deep inside and Will could feel it flowing out from him, down his arms and out of his hands. It surged in great waves, flowing over everything all the way to the far reaches of the wards around Hogwarts castle. A bright light, ripping the spirit of Voldemort clean out of Quirrell's body and forcing him out of the room, out of the castle and completely out of the wards.

Will turned to look at Harry tiredly, thankfully he was conscious, he wouldn't have to miss the quidditch game! Will's last thought was that Harry didn't have to look so frightened and sad, they'd done it, right?

"WILL!" Harry yelled desperately, and with Will's last ounce of strength, he pulled on the cord connecting him to his body.

* * *

Will awoke to sunlight streaming through the windows of the Infirmary. He sat up, stretching. He still felt a bit tired, but not too bad. Why was he in the Hospital Wing?

Suddenly everything came flooding back to him. He looked around and saw Dumbledore sitting at his bedside.

"Professor! Harry! Is he-"

"Harry is fine, I believe he's about to win the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor. If you listen closely, you might be able to hear the crowd from here." Dumbledore smiled. Will looked down and noticed a small pile of candy at the bottom of his bed. Probably not anywhere as near as big as the one Harry received in the books, but it touched Will to know that his friends were worried about him.

"Now, I believe you have some questions for me, Mr. Nelson, and I have a few for you myself. I'll start us off if you don't mind." Dumbledore said, and Will nodded.

"Your friends informed me of your abilities, future sight and astral projection, the second one is something I've never heard of before. And I arrived just in time to see your… astral form I believe it was? Perform a strange magic to repel Voldemort from the castle. Harry seemed to have something else on his mind as well, but he wasn't willing to share it with me. As I guessed that what he was thinking was about you, I was hoping you would be able to shed some light, as it were, on the subject."

"I have a question for you first, Professor," Will said. He was plunging into deep waters without a life preserver, but maybe Dumbledore would be able to catch him. Will wanted to believe that Dumbledore had Harry's best interests at heart. So maybe he could give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Do you know what's in Harry's scar?" Will asked.

Dumbledore seemed surprised that this was the road the conversation had turned on, but he hid it well, "I have a few theories, but I'm not entirely sure, no."

"Alright, do you know how Voldemort survived?" Will asked.

Dumbledore paused, "Again, I have a few theories, but that's not something I re-"

"I do." Will said. Here it was. He turned to look out the window.

There was silence, and Will turned back to see Dumbledore with a very grave expression on his face.

"I see," Dumbledore started, but Will interrupted whatever it was he was about to say.

"I kind of have a long story to tell, so I'm sorry to be rude, but could you let me get it out before you ask me anything more?"

Dumbledore nodded, "That would be agreeable, yes. Please tell your story."

And Will did. He told Dumbledore about how his favorite book series growing up was a series called 'Harry Potter', about how he'd died and met his grandmother on the other side, how he'd been given a mission to come to a different dimension, how he'd possessed a vacant body, how he'd struggled with the feelings of guilt that had followed, how he'd approached Harry, holding out a hand in friendship, and about how Harry had grasped that hand like a lifeline to a drowning man.

Will couldn't look at Dumbledore during his explanation, he just had to get it out before he lost his nerve.

"I wanted to befriend Harry because he'd needed someone to be there for him as a child so badly, and you never checked up on him. I know you had Ms. Figg looking after him, but it wasn't enough! It wasn't." Will was crying by the end, and as he looked up at Dumbledore, he could see a tear run down his nose as well.

"I see. That explains some things. I know you've been confusing Madam Pomfrey as to why you have no brain activity, and after she explained to me her findings I had Snape run some Legilimency probes. You have no thoughts, did you know? Even unconscious people have thoughts." Dumbledore said, then sighed, "I seem to have made a lot of mistakes if a visitor from another world was necessary to fix them." Dumbledore sighed, rubbing a thumb across his eye.

"I wanted to believe you had Harry's best interests at heart, how you wanted the best for him as well, but it was so hard to do so looking from an outside perspective." Will cried, "You've made a few questionable choices regarding Harry's safety, and from what I remember, you were going to make a few more coming up. I know that the prophecy is very important, defeating Voldemort and all, but Harry's happiness is just as important, and he can't find it at the Dursleys, Professor, he just can't."

Dumbledore sighed, "May I ask a question now?"

Will nodded, "Sure." He wiped his eyes. Being a kid again made his emotions a mess.

"How did Voldemort survive? I have a few theories-"

"Horcruxes." Will interrupted, planting his face on his knees.

Dumbledore looked shocked, "More than one?" He whispered.

"Seven." Will mumbled into the blankets. He sat up again. "I think you originally figured it out next year, when the Chamber of Secrets is opened again."

Dumbledore looked shocked, then sighed, "I'm going to have to get used to that, aren't I."

"I'm afraid so," Will giggled, before sobering, "I was afraid that you knew all along, and that's why you placed Harry with the Dursleys, so his self esteem would be at an all time low, and when it was finally time he wouldn't hesitate."

"Knew what?" Dumbledore asked, looking older than Will had ever seen him.

"That Harry's scar is a Horcrux," Will whispered.

It almost seemed as if a million emotions flashed across Dumbledore's face, disbelief, anger, fear, despair, before he stopped to look at Will.

"I see," He whispered, "I understand now."

"Is there really no way to remove it?" Will asked, "I was hoping that actual physical surgery could do it, or maybe there are some avenues to explore that you just didn't have the time to do before."

"There are some things we can try," Dumbledore said, "Muggle surgery might work, but I have a possibility that might work that isn't so drastic."

"What is it?" Will asked, surprised, "wouldn't you have tried it before too, then?"

"We didn't have it before, Mr. Nelson." Dumbledore said, nodding, "You see, it's you. More specifically, it's your power. You were able to send Voldemort's spirit fleeing, correct? You were able to remove it from Quirrell's body without killing him."

"He's alive!?" Will asked, shocked.

"No, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said, "He died from the strain of carrying around Voldemort's fragmented soul. The body isn't meant to carry around a soul as damaged as his. He must perform many rituals if he wants a body to last for long. Once Voldemort's spirit left him, Quirrell didn't last long before he expired. Harry may now be able to see the Thestrals as well, I'm sorry to say."

"You know," Will said, considering, "Even though your original plan had Harry sacrificing himself, you weren't entirely wrong. I don't know if you knew this would happen, but Harry survived Voldemort's Killing Curse. The Horcrux was destroyed instead. I also don't know if it would have happened if Harry went into it knowing that it would happen. Or if Voldemort killed him with a different spell."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful, "It probably would still work if Harry went into it knowing he'd survive, but it would probably have to be the Killing Curse from Voldemort, yes. A different curse would kill him and the Horcrux most likely."

"I don't want to know what Voldemort would do if he found out Harry was one of his Horcruxes." Will shivered.

"Neither would I," Dumbledore said, nodding.

"A couple more things," Will said, remembering something he'd been meaning to talk to Dumbledore about, "I want to teach my friends Occlumency, and I'm hoping there is something you can do to help?"

Dumbledore considered. "It would be hard, if not impossible, for you to learn Occlumency or Legilimency, due to your unique brain state, but I might have some books with exercises they can try. They'll have to practice over the summer, and I'll either check how they're doing once they come back for the school year myself, or have someone trustworthy do it."

"It's not done by attacking with Legilimency and letting them figure out how to form shields that way?" Will asked.

Dumbledore winced. "That… is one way to do it, but it's only done for the most extreme situations. If you need to learn in a short amount of time and don't mind a bit of pain, that way is best. But these are children we're talking about, correct? We're also not in a rush, so this way should work also."

Will nodded, he continued. "I was hoping I'd also be able to talk to the sorting hat before school ends?"

"Do you wish to switch houses?" Dumbledore asked, 'The sorting hat is notoriously picky abou-"

"No, I just have something I want to talk to him about. I promised him a conversation, after all."

Dumbledore nodded, "You can come to my office later today. It's behind the Gargoyle on the third floor, password is 'licorice wand'. Was there anything else?"

Will took a deep breath, "I also know that Sirius Black is innocent."

Will thought he wouldn't be able to shock Dumbledore again, but he was wrong.

"What!?" Dumbledore cried, before composing himself, "How?" He had a look like Will had never seen before.

"Peter Pettigrew was the spy for Voldemort. He was the real secret keeper. When Sirius went after Peter, Peter shouted how Sirius was the one to betray James and Lily, and blew up a gas line under the street, killing all of those muggles. Peter then cut off one of his fingers and transformed into a rat, his animagus form, and headed into the sewer. Sirius was half mad when the aurors found him saying 'I killed Lily and James', because it was his idea to switch to Peter as secret keeper. Sirius was put in Azkaban without a trial."

Dumbledore looked as if all of the pieces had just fallen into place. "I was never able to see his Trial Transcripts, because there were none. I was so busy at the time, you see, I wasn't able to attend many Wizengamot trials. I'd assumed that his had been one of the ones I'd missed, but when I went looking for the records, I couldn't find any. At the time I thought it was because they were classified, and was surprised that there was a level of security clearance I didn't have."

Will nodded, it made sense. "We need to get him out of there. He's been able to keep the worst of it at bay by knowing he's innocent and being in animagus form whenever there's a chance, seeing as animals aren't as susceptible to Dementors. I'm hoping he'll be able to take in Harry, once he's recovered."

Dumbledore frowned, "I'm not sure I'd be able to without some form of proof."

"I know where Pettigrew is, and if we can't catch him, Veritaserum or a Pensive would help. I'm sure Sirius would undergo both willingly to prove his innocence."

"Where is he?" Dumbledore had gone very still.

"You're not going to like it, but he's in Gryffindor tower right now. He's masquerading as Ron Weasley's pet rat, Scabbers."

You're right, I don't like it." Dumbledore sighed. As he did, the Hospital Wing doors flew open and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville stormed in. As they did, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office at the noise.

"What is all of the- Mr. Nelson! You're awake! Let me check you over." As she ran her tests, Will could see Harry and the others talking to Dumbledore, waiting for him to be done. Dumbledore said something to them, and excused himself. Madam Pomfrey finished, and once she got the okay, Hermione launched herself at Will, bringing him into a big hug. Ron and Neville joined, with Harry bringing up the tail.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Hermione beamed, "We've been really worried."

"I wasn't sure what happened, so I didn't know how long you'd be out for." Harry said, blushing a bit.

Neville nodded, "Ron told me you can do something called astral projecting? What exactly is that?"

Hermione sat up straight, like she'd just remembered, "Right! What was all of that? Harry said you were projecting these waves of light that drove Voldemort away?"

Will nodded, "That wasn't something I was aware I could do either. I've been able to project my spirit for a few years though. I think it's because of the coma I was in."

"Coma?" Ron asked. Will and Harry had explained this to Hermione before, because she'd understand the medical terms, but they hadn't with Neville and Ron.

"It's a state of unconsciousness that you can't be awoken from, usually caused by damage to the brain." Hermione explained.

"Brain damage?" Neville whispered. He was probably thinking about his parents.

"I was unconscious for about three months," Will said, "And when I woke up, I could astral project."

"But why did your astral form change?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, it went from a blurry outline to a glowing stick figure," Ron said.

"It happened because I formed a connection with you, like I have with Harry," Will explained, "One that allows me to communicate with you the same way ghosts communicate with each other. Soul to soul."

"Does that connection still exist?" Hermione asked, looking thoughtful.

"Yes," Will said, "I could break it off if you want." He didn't exactly want to do that, but if it made her uncomfortable, he would.

"No, I was just wondering if we could use it to communicate when you're not in astral form." Hermione asked.

Will and Harry looked at each other. "I don't know, we've never tried. We've only used it from astral form to body, or astral form to astral form."

"Wait!" Neville said, "You can do it too, Harry?"

Harry nodded, "Will taught me how. It's a bit dangerous, but after the first time it's fun!"

"Dangerous how?" Hermione asked. She had a strange look on her face.

"If you don't know what you're doing, you might accidentally detach the person's soul from their body completely." Will warned, "I'm not sure what will happen then, but I know it's not good."

Hermione, Ron, and Neville nodded seriously.

"Will you teach me?" Hermione asked, determined. She probably couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn something new.

"Me too!" Ron added. He probably wanted to be the first of his brothers to learn something completely unheard of before. Plus, it probably sounded fun.

I'm in too." Neville said. He probably wanted to be included. Hopefully he hadn't been feeling a little left out. Will had a few ideas that might help Neville, actually, regarding his parents.

"So?" Hermione asked, drawing Will's attention again.

"As long as you guys know the risks, and are willing to give it a try, I'm willing to help you." Will promised. "We'll try it tonight. I'll pull you out when we're all asleep. Sorry Hermione, that means I'll be going into your dorm room in astral form." Hermione looked thoughtful, but nodded.

Then Harry changed the subject and explained in detail how Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup. As he was doing so, Dumbledore came back, patting his pocket. He looked at Madam Pomfrey, who nodded.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Nelson, Ms. Granger, Mr. Longbottom, and Mr. Potter, I have something I need to speak to you all about, and then I believe that you're free to go. You may spend your afternoon however you wish after that."

Dumbledore explained about Ron's rat, and Ron was shocked and disgusted when he found out. Then Dumbledore explained what it meant for Harry, that Peter was found.

"I have a godfather?" Harry asked, speechless.

"He was in jail with no trial!? That's outrageous!" Hermione said, enraged.

"Does this mean Harry won't have to go back to the Dursleys?" Neville asked. Will and Harry had explained, in vague terms, how the Dursleys treated Harry. None of their friends liked them at all.

"Hopefully, but probably not until late summer, depending on Sirius' recovery. Azkaban is not a fun place to be. It's very taxing on the mind and body." Dumbledore explained. He then turned and gestured to the door, "You're free to go now, I suggest enjoying some of the sunny weather." He smiled.

Ron was still in shock about his rat. Grabbing his arm, they dragged him outside to go enjoy the sunshine.

* * *

Okay! Next chapter should have a conversation with the sorting hat, some astral projection fun, and maybe we'll get to the end of year feast.


	20. Chapter 20, Shenanigans

I've been trying to post at least once per day, but yesterday was so busy I didn't have time to write a full chapter. Then after that, writer's block punched me in the face. Sorry about that. Anyway, this one got away from me a little bit, Dumbledore is kind of hard to write. I did my best though. Let me know what you think!

* * *

While they were relaxing outside, Harry took the time to tell his friends what he'd talked about with Dumbledore. When he brought up the idea that he thought that Dumbledore had set things up so Harry had a chance to face Voldemort, Will was somewhat upset by the notion.

"I hope he didn't." Will said, "I would hope a person with so many children's safety in his hands wouldn't be so callous."

Harry frowned, "I thought he did it because I have a right to face Voldemort. He's come after me and my family several times now. I don't think he's just going to stop."

"Yes," Will said, "But I would think that if he was going to do such a thing, he would have to have it in a safer environment. I know Voldemort is unable to touch you, Harry, but he could still use magic on you. If Dumbledore was setting something like that up, he should have at least given you some training, some sort of magical protection, heck, a suit of armor, something. I know you have a right to face him, Harry, but your safety is important too. And it's also Dumbledore's responsibility to make sure you are safe. If he set this up, he's failed at one of his basic duties as Headmaster."

Harry frowned, but nodded.

After spending part of the day outside with his friends, Will excused himself to Dumbledore's office. He knocked, and Dumbledore allowed him entry. As he entered, he noticed the sorting hat sitting on one of the shelves, and what must be Fawkes sitting on a golden perch.

"Here for your chat with the sorting hat, I presume?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.

The rip at the brim of the sorting hat opened, and the hat spoke, "I did say that I wanted to speak to you again, but I get the feeling you've something to ask me, as well."

"Yes," Will said, "I wanted to ask you about the Sword."

"Hmm?" The hat said. It must be playing dumb.

"The sword of Gryffindor, I know you have it," Will said, "It's going to be needed soon. You don't need to give it to me, I'm not sure if I'm worthy of it or not, but it can certainly go to Harry."

"I see," The hat said, "I'm afraid I can only give that out when it's truly necessary. It was part of the enchantments used to place it inside of me, you see. Only a true Gryffindor, in a time of great need, can pull out the sword."

"I get it," Will said, "I was hoping we would be able to get it more easily. I didn't want Harry to have to fight the Monster of the Chamber of Secrets one on one again. We will need the sword later, for destroying the Horcruxes."

"The sword of Gryffindor can destroy a Horcrux?" Dumbledore asked. Will had forgotten he was there. Will looked over at Dumbledore. He'd sat down at his desk, and looked to be in the middle of some paperwork.

"Not by itself," Will explained, "If it was imbued with Basilisk's venom, that would do it." He stopped, considering, "But I suppose that any goblin forged blade imbued with Basilisk's venom would do it. There's no need for it to be the sword of Gryffindor, I guess." He turned to nod at the sorting hat, but one other thing struck him. "Actually, there's one more thing."

"Yes?" The sorting hat asked, when Will paused.

"I don't mean to step on your toes," Will started, "But I was hoping you'd consider sorting a student somewhere else next autumn."

"Oh?" The hat asked, and if the hat had a face, Will was sure it would be irritated.

"Luna Lovegood," Will went on, "You originally sorted her into Ravenclaw, but she had a hard time there. Ravenclaws may be smart, but they have a hard time seeing past their books sometimes. For someone like Luna, it ended up being a rather hostile environment for her. I was hoping you would consider putting her in Gryffindor. I could watch over her more easily there. I know she's brave, I'm sure she'd make a wonderful Gryffindor. Or even a Hufflepuff, she's very loyal, and they'd be more welcoming of someone who's so different. I just-"

"I'm going to stop you right there," The hat said, "I think I get the picture now. This Lovegood girl, she is somewhat out of the norm, yes?"

"She sees the world through different eyes, is how I would put it." Will said.

"I think I understand my own reasoning for putting her where I did," The hat said, "Sometimes I put a student in a house that I think would be good for them, one that would allow them to grow as a person. What I must have done for Luna, is put her somewhere where she fits, certainly, but would also allow her to help others to grow. By interacting with someone who...how did you put it?...sees the world through different eyes, it would allow some of the literal minded Ravenclaws to learn to have a more open mind. I guess my gamble didn't have the effect I had hoped."

"No, it ended up with her isolated and bullied." Will said, frowning, "Plus, it's not really fair to her to use her for others' growth. What about her own? She's here to learn and grow as well. She's not a teaching tool."

"I suppose you are right," The hat shuffled a bit on it's shelf.

"You're being rather forthright about this," Will said, confused, "Everything that I've read said that you never admit when you're wrong."

"Oh, but I can't be wrong if I haven't done it yet," The hat said, grinning at Will, "I may decide to take your words into account this time, and I may not. Only time will tell."

"I see, that's all I can ask for, really," Will said, then felt something land on his shoulder. He turned to look and saw beautiful red feathers. Fawkes must have flown over.

As Will watched, Fawkes let out a warble, and then a clear note rang out. A warmth flooded him, and he felt some of his guilt and insecurity fade away. He let out a surprised laugh.

"Thanks, Fawkes." Will said.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Nelson?" Dumbledore had looked up at Fawkes' song, "I usually only hear that kind of call when something is troubling someone."

Will paused, "Yes, I suppose so," He said, "It's just something Voldemort said, back when we were fighting him. I know it's silly…"

"It's not silly to feel, Will," Dumbledore said, "And we can't control our emotions any more than we can control the passage of time. We can only change the way we view them." He gestured to an open chair facing his desk, "Sometimes it helps to talk about them."

Will shrugged, careful not to jostle Fawkes too much, and walked over to sit on the chair. "Okay, I guess what's bothering me is that Voldemort said he and I weren't too different, in that we were both inhabiting bodies that aren't our own. I know he's a monster that doesn't care about what happens to others, but what does that make me?" Will looked down at his hands, "Am I a monster?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully, "You said you were sent here, in order to help, yes? You were given a choice, and your choice was to help others. I think that's very honorable, Will."

"But what about the original Will?" Will asked, "Shouldn't he have been given a choice as well? I know he can't make a choice, he's gone, but I still took his body without his permission. Isn't that wrong?"

"I think that thinking like that proves you're not a monster, Will." Dumbledore said, "You worry about others, and the effect your actions will have on them. Does someone who does that sound like a monster to you?"

Will considered Dumbledore's words, "I suppose not," Will said slowly, "But what about Will's family? What happens if or when they find out? That I'm not Will? Will they reject me? And if they do, where would I go then? I wouldn't be able to afford to go to Hogwarts anymore." That would truly be a disaster. Fawkes released another note, and Will felt a bit better.

"Let's not count our chickens before they hatch, alright?" Dumbledore said, nodding to Fawkes, "Or in this case, phoenixes." He gave a chuckle, "There's no way to tell if that will ever come to pass, or what their reactions would be if it did. But if it did, and their reactions were as bad as you feared, there are options open to you."

Will thought about his talk with Harry earlier. "I have one more thing to ask you, Professor, then I'll get out of your hair. Did you set it up so Harry would have a confrontation with Voldemort?"

Dumbledore looked surprised, "No, I didn't. Why would you ask such a thing?"

Will sighed, "Something Harry said earlier. Anyway, if you didn't, why were the traps around the stone so easy to get through that a bunch of first years could do it?"

Dumbledore smiled, "The enchantments around the stone weren't meant to be too difficult. What they were there for was to slow any intruders down. You must have noticed, that it took you some time to get through all of them, correct? The keys and the chess match, especially."

Will nodded thoughtfully, "It was a trap. Not for us, but for Voldemort. You wanted it to force him to spend as much time as possible figuring out the traps, so that it would allow for someone to arrive and hopefully stop him."

Dumbledore nodded, "Preferably myself. The room with the mirror at the end is nearly impossible to escape from without help as well. I suppose you noticed that you couldn't pass through the walls in astral form?" Will nodded, "They were unbreakable too. The only way out was through the fire you came in from, and the potion only lasts for a few minutes. It would have taken Voldemort much longer than that to figure out a way to get the stone out of the mirror."

"So, we didn't need to go down there in the first place."Will realized, "You had everything handled."

Dumbledore nodded, eyes twinkling, "You all were very brave to do so though. But, once you were there, that changed things. It gave Voldemort more to work with. Harry's selflessness allowed Voldemort to get the stone much quicker than I anticipated. Thankfully, you both were able to keep him distracted long enough for help to arrive. You even managed to banish Voldemort's spirit by yourself. That's no small feat."

Dumbledore rifled through a drawer for a moment before pulling out some copies of the same book and setting them on his desktop, "These are five copies of Protection Charm Your Mind, By Franciscus Fieldwake. It should be enough to get your friends started."

Taking the books, Will took this as his cue to leave. He thanked the Headmaster and headed for the door. Stopping just short of it, he looked at Fawkes, who was still on his shoulder.

"I have to go now, Fawkes," He said, giving him a little stroke. Fawkes leaned into his hand, cooing.

"He does seem inordinately attached to you," Dumbledore commented.

"I've been told I radiate an aura that creatures related to death like," Will said. He pet Fawkes a bit more as he walked over to his perch. Once he reached it, Fawkes gave Will a nuzzle before hopping off of his shoulder and onto the perch. Will gave him another skritch, then after excusing himself to Dumbledore again, he left.

* * *

As he walked, on his way to find his friends, he looked over the books Dumbledore had given him. Franciscus Fieldwake had a lot of helpful suggestions for new Occlumencers. It seemed like his method was mainly to use meditation and mental techniques to trap, trick, and otherwise misinform Legilimencers to keep them from your true thoughts. If done right, a Legilimencer might have no idea you even knew they were there. A lot more subtle than the brute force method Snape tried to teach Harry. It also took a lot more practice, it could take months to even get through the first stage of setting up your mind palace. Thankfully, they had time.

Will handed out the books, and sat his friends down.

"These books will help you form defenses around your mind, so anyone trying to read your thoughts won't be able to." He said, gesturing to the books they were now holding.

"There's magic that allows people to read minds!?" Ron asked, shocked.

"That's a serious invasion of privacy," Hermione said, frowning, "Thank you for getting me this."

Neville nodded, "Where'd you get this? It was probably somewhat expensive."

"I asked Dumbledore," Will said, "He gave them to me. I thought they might be useful, seeing as we don't want too many people finding out our secrets. Voldemort already knows about Astral Projection, and I'd rather he didn't find anything else out."

Harry nodded, "When Will and I had our confrontation with Voldemort, he seemed to know what I was thinking, I guess he must have been reading my mind. That's how he knew so much."

"It's probably a pretty good intimidation tactic," Will said, "Knowing what your enemy will do before they do it. I just don't want it to work on us ever again."

"You think he'll come back!?" Neville yelped, "I was hoping with whatever Will did to him, we'd seen the last of him."

"Sorry, but I don't think so." Will said, "And there's no way he's going to take this lying down. He'll continue to try to regain a body until he's stopped for good, or it actually happens. I just hope it's the former, not the latter."

Hermione had been frowning at the book while they had been talking. She looked at Will for a moment, then spoke, "You seem to have been planning this for a while. I've noticed that you've been pushing some of us to do better in school, too."

This was true too, Will was sure Harry wasn't the only one of this group who'd done better this time than in his memories. Neville, with a wand of his own, had proven rather adept at transfiguration, though not as good as Hermione. He wasn't a slouch in his other classes either, though he would probably always be a bit nervous in potions.

Will had found that he himself was rather good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, with defensive spells coming naturally to him. He suspected he'd be rather good at healing spells as well. He would probably always be a bit bad at History, though who really was good at that class with the teacher they had (Hermione not included.)

Ron hadn't let himself be left behind, either. He had complained a bit at first about all of the studying, but had doubled down when praised for his work. Will suspected he was rather proud of having someone be impressed with something he'd done, instead of being compared to his brothers.

"Are you setting us up to be soldiers?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

Will was momentarily shocked, but shook it off, "No, I just want you all to be able to protect yourselves from whatever comes for you. The magical world may be wonderful, but it's also dangerous too."

Hermione scrutinized him a moment, then nodded. "I see. We should probably head to bed now. We can try out some of these meditation techniques before going to sleep. Will, you'll be pulling us out tonight, right?"

Will nodded.

"Well, let's get started! We've been talking for awhile now, so I bet our roommates are asleep." Hermione smiled at all of them, "See you in a bit." She got up, and headed to bed.

"She's right," Will said, "It's probably a good idea to try out the exercises before sleeping. I suggest you all do that." Will got up and held out one hand to Harry, and the other to Neville. Pulling them up, he offered another hand to Ron. Once Ron was up, they all headed to their dorms.

* * *

Appearing in his astral form, Will decided to check on Hermione first. That way, she'd be able to watch the process and hopefully answer her own questions. He floated down to the common room and up the girl's staircase. Since he wasn't in a male body, the stair slide didn't activate. He floated up until he found the room labelled first years, and stuck his head inside. Hermione's bed was on the right, closest to the door, he'd recognize that hair anywhere. Concentrating on his bond with her, he gave it a slight tug. Her soul sat up, just like Harry's had done so long ago.

{Will?} Hermione said, {What's going on? My legs are stuck.}

{I can only pull you part way out,} Will said, {You've got to do the rest. Don't forget to leave a connection back to your body, okay?}

Hermione nodded, and wriggled her way out. Astral-Hermione looked like astral-Harry did, herself, but glowing gold and transparent. She floated upward, trying to maintain balance.

{You don't have to struggle so much,} Will chuckled, {Your astral form automatically moves the way you want to, flying is pretty easy.}

{I'd rather be on the ground,} Hermione said seriously, {I don't like heights.}

{Are you afraid of heights? Or afraid of falling?}

{Aren't those the same thing?} Hermione asked.

{Not in astral form, they're not,} Will said, {If you're afraid of heights, you'll always be uncomfortable while flying, no matter what you do. But the fear of falling is simple, while flying in astral form, you don't fall if you don't want to. There's also no feeling in your stomach, like you get on roller coasters either. That's why I think Harry likes flying on his broom best. He likes the wind in his hair, the rush of adrenaline, you don't get that with astral projection.}

{I see,} Hermione said, {That's actually very helpful.} She floated upright, then turned to face Will. {Let's go get the others, then we can talk.}

{Okay,} Will said, then they floated to the first year boy's dorm, where Harry was waiting for them in astral form.

{Took you long enough,} Harry said, then he saw Hermione, {Oh, you went to do Hermione first?}

{I figured she'd want to watch the process, something new to learn, ya'know?} Will said.

Hermione nodded, {You figured correctly. Now, why can't I hear Harry?}

{Oh, you need to form a bond together,} Will said, {Reach out with your mind and feel for each other, remember how the bond feels with me.}

Harry and Hermione nodded, and began trying to form a bond, while Will formed a bond with Neville. They were making scrunchy faces, it was kind of funny.

{Okay, got it!} Harry said, and Hermione nodded.

{I heard you that time,} Hermione said, then turned to Will, {Now what?}

Will focused on the bond with Ron, then gave it a gentle tug, and repeated the process with Neville. Their souls sat up, half in and half out of their bodies.

{What the-} Ron said, surprised. He looked around, and spotted Will, {A little help here?}

Neville was distracted by his glowiness. He was turning his hands over, looking through them. After a moment, he saw Will and jumped. {Will, is that you? You look… different.}

{Okay, focus you two,} Will said, {You need to figure out how to get the rest of the way out yourselves. Don't forget to leave a connection back to your bodies before you leave it. That's very important.}

Neville got it pretty quick, and Ron was not too far behind him. They floated upwards, looking around.

{Okay, now what you guys need to do is to focus on forming a bond with Harry, reach out mentally, it'll feel very similar to how it feels to talk to me.} Will had them connect with Harry, then with Hermione, then with each other.

{Okay, one last step, you're going to want to connect to Hogwarts.} Will said. {It's a bit overwhelming at first, but you get used to it. It's pretty useful, it allows you to feel where the others connected to the castle are, and talk to them when you're close by.}

Everyone nodded concentrated. One by one, they cried out in shock as they connected to the Soul of Hogwarts. Hermione first, then Neville, then Ron.

{This is incredible!} Neville said, {I've never experienced anything like this before.}

{They're kind of scattered all over the place,} Ron said. {I can feel people in all directions. Well, not above us, but you know what I mean.}

{Who all is connected to Hogwarts?} Hermione asked.

{The ghosts are, they use the connection to keep themselves connected to this plane. If they didn't they'd move on to the other side.} Will explained, {The House-Elves as well, but I'm not sure why they're connected. I haven't had a chance to talk to them yet.}

{House-Elves?} Hermione asked, {I'm not familiar.}

{They're servants,} Neville explained, {A race of beings that get joy and fulfillment out of serving others. The bond the master/servant relationship creates gives them the energy needed for them to perform magic. There's some in the kitchens here, I believe.}

{But are they paid? Do they get sick days? Are they free to choose who to serve?} Hermione asked, frowning.

{Hermione, I think you're asking the wrong questions,} Will said, sighing. He hoped he could nip this in the bud, {They don't want those things. Why don't we go talk to them and see what they think, okay?}

Hermione nodded, and everyone headed off to the kitchens.

* * *

I didn't end up getting to the leaving feast, there was more than I expected in this chapter. Next, the house elves in the kitchens, and this time the leaving feast. Maybe.


	21. Chapter 21, Homeward Bound

This took a _lot_ longer than expected to get out, sorry about that. I've decided to keep all of the years together as a single story, after weighing the pros and cons. It's easier on the readers that way.

* * *

Once they arrived in the kitchens, they were quickly approached by the house-elves there. They were adorable, in an ugly-cute kind of way. Their huge eyes staring at them in surprise? Confusion? Will wasn't sure. Ron had floated deeper into the kitchens, probably to get a feel for the place, so he would know it better if/when he came back while awake.

_{Hello!}_ Will said, _{We're here to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.} _The elves looked at each other, then one stepped forward.

_{We's don't mind!}_ He said, using the connection instead of out loud, _{You's can speak like us! I be Toddle! How can I be helping?}_

_{It's nice to meet you Toddle!}_ Hermione said, floating forward, _{I was hoping you could answer some questions for me, okay?} _Toddle nodded, ears flapping. The other elves had returned to what they were doing before.

_{I be happy to!}_ Toddle said, beaming.

_{Well, we were wondering,} _Will began, _{Why do house-elves choose to serve?}_

_{Why not?} _Toddle asked, _{We is happy this way, we gets the help we need, and we is making our masters happy.}_

_{Yes, but what about sick days, payment for services, or vacation?}_ Hermione asked.

_{Do you even want those things?}_ Will cut in, shooting Hermione a look. She was pushing too hard too quickly.

Toddle was starting to look nervous, _{We isn't needing those things. We is happy the way things be. We can't be accepting payment for serving, for we is not paying for our magic then.} _He was fiddling with his ears in a distressed manner.

_{But that's-}_ Hermione burst out, before Will pulled her away for a moment to talk.

_{You're pushing too hard, Hermione.}_ Will said.

_{But I don't understand how they can just accept this!}_ She said, shaking her head angrily.

Will considered for a moment, _{I think you're trying to force human values onto a non-human species. They clearly don't have the same desires as us, and I don't really think it's fair to try to force them to.}_

_{But it's slavery!} _Hermione cried, _{They're being taken advantage of, and someone has to protect them.}_

_{I agree with you,} _Will soothed, _{But I think you're going about this in the wrong way. Instead of trying to get them more rights, which would only make them unhappy, how about we work towards making sure they are protected and allowed to do as they please.}_

Hermione stopped, considering. Neville and Harry had joined Ron towards the back of the room. Harry probably because Will seemed to have this well in hand, and Neville probably because arguments made him nervous.

_{I know there are laws protecting elves, but they're currently being laxly enforced. People are getting away with abusing house elves in their care, and that is _definitely_ not okay. So I think we should first focus on making sure elves are safe, before tackling anything else, okay?}_

Sighing, Hermione nodded, _{I've been told I can get a little gung-ho about topics I'm passionate in, and can take off without knowing all of the facts. I try to make up for this by knowing as much as possible, but that doesn't always work.} _She turned to face Will, _{You're right, one step at a time. We need to make sure house-elves aren't being abused before anything else.}_

_{Unfortunately, that's going to be a long uphill battle,} _Will said,_ {We're not going to really be able to do anything about it until we're adults.}_

Hermione sighed again, _{It seems like the more I learn about the Wizarding World, the more problems I find.} _She muttered.

Will turned back to Toddle, _{You said something about paying for magic by serving. Can you elaborate on that a bit more?}_

Toddle nodded, still looking nervous, _{Magic always be asking for a price. The price house-elves be paying is that we can't be using magic without serving someone. Our magic is to be used for our masters.}_

Will nodded, _{Like genies then, you can only use your magic in service of someone else.}_

Toddle nodded, ears flapping, _{If we is not having a bond, our magic be fading away. We is _needing_ that magic to _live_!}_

Hermione looked surprised, _{That's terrible! You _die _without someone to serve!? That's so unfair!}_

Toddle nodded, _{That be the price to pay for us.}_

_{But that's so unfair,} _Hermione said, _{Why does it have to be that way?}_

_{A long time ago, house-elves not be needing the bond,} _Toddle said, _{Back then, it be common for house-elves to die from our magic going out of control. We was _too_ strong. The bond is being what saved us. It be giving our magic focus, stopping us from losing control. Over time, the bond is becoming part of house-elf magic. Becoming necessary for house-elves.}_

Will frowned, _{I've heard of house-elves without masters before, though. They didn't die immediately.}_

Toddle looked pensive, _{It be possible to live for a while without the bond, if you be saving what magic you have left. Living in very magical places be helping too, like Hogwarts. A House-elf could be living maybe five years more, like that.}_

Will was surprised. Dobby had willingly chose to die, rather than continue under the service of the Malfoys. Gives you some idea on just how bad it was, huh. Though it was always possible Dobby was hoping that Harry would bond with him, once he was an adult. Either way, Will was going to help him, this time.

Hermione looked sad. _{That's awful. I'm so sorry that it's necessary for you. Maybe someday, someone will make it so you no longer have to serve to live. Has there been any research into the bond done?}_

Toddle looked confused, _{We is happy this way, though? We be enjoying taking care of others. As long as we is able to do that, we be satisfied.}_

Will nodded, pulling Hermione to the side,_ {Thank you Toddle, that's all we needed to know.}_ Toddle bowed, then returned to whatever he was doing before.

Will turned to Hermione, _{We're not going to be able to change their minds in just one evening. Maybe someday they'll be willing to pick who to serve, or if they want to serve at all, but if we push more right now they'll just pull away from us. For now, let's do some research into bonds.}_

Hermione nodded, looking serious, and Ron floated over, Harry and Neville following. _{You guys done? I've memorized where the kitchens are, so let's get going. We're going to need to sleep for real eventually.}_

Will nodded, and Hermione followed suit after a moment. _{There's an easy way to get back to your body,} _Will said, _{Just tug on the cord, and it will pull you back. You'll be asleep before you know it.}_

Harry demonstrated, and soon after, the others followed suit. Will waited until everyone else was gone before pulling his own cord.

* * *

The next day they went down to visit Hagrid, who wept and apologized profusely. After they made sure that Hagrid knew they didn't blame him, Hagrid wiped his eyes and pulled something out of his pocket.

"I got yeh somethin', Harry. I took the day off yesterday to fix it fer yeh, as an apology present."

Harry opened the book as Hagrid explained, "I contacted friends o' yer parents from school, and asked them fer photos, d'yeh like it?"

The others peered over Harry's shoulder, looking at the tiny images waving up at them. Will threw an arm around Harry, giving him a sort of side hug as Harry looked at Hagrid and nodded, choked up.

"Who did you send letters to?" Will asked, curious. Remus Lupin was probably one, but Hagrid had said more than one person.

"A friend of Harry's dad name o' Remus Lupin, and a friend of his mum's named Hestia Jones." Hagrid said, nodding. Will frowned, Hestia Jones? The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.

That night was the end-of-year feast, and they all headed down together. Gryffindor had won the house cup, probably due to Harry, Hermione, and Neville not losing one hundred and fifty points and Gryffindor winning the Quidditch cup this year. The mood was ecstatic, even Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw getting in on it, happy that Gryffindor had broken Slytherin's winning streak. Dumbledore didn't give out any last minute points this time, strangely.

Next was everyone getting their exam results. Hermione was first in the year, of course, but Will was right behind, in second. Harry was in fifth place, Neville in eighth, and Ron in tenth.

As Hermione had noticed before, Will _had_ been pushing everyone to do better, and it had paid off. Will was a bit older than the others, mentally, and it showed in his writing, pushing his essay assignments up a bit grade wise. He'd done pretty well over all, all Outstandings.

Harry had done better as well, Mostly O's with an EE in potions, but that was probably a given. No way was Snape going to give Harry an O. Neville was doing well as well, his stellar Herbology score making up for his low EE in Potions. Even Ron was doing better, though his rather lackluster History and Potions grades were causing him to trail behind. All in all, Will was satisfied.

Not too long later, they were all packed, and on their way back home. They rode the boats back across the lake and boarded the train.

"You know, I'm going to miss Hogwarts," Will said, a while into the train ride, "It might have been a bit dangerous, but it was definitely not boring."

"Me too," Hermione said, "I'm ever so glad I decided to give it a chance."

"Me three," Harry nodded, "I'm going to miss all of you as well, not just Hogwarts." Hermione looked touched.

"Well, you're always welcome to stay over for part of the summer," Ron said, "My parents would be delighted."

"At my place as well," Neville added, "Longbottom Manor gets kind of lonely, just me and Gran."

"You live in a _Manor?"_ Will said, surprised.

Neville blushed. "Uh, yes. Is that a problem?"

"No!" Will said, "I was just surprised. Your family must be pretty well off, huh?"

"Will," Harry said, trying not to laugh, "Your house might as well be a manor, so your family isn't doing too bad either."

"I don't live in a manor," Will said, blushing, "Manor's are big buildings with multiple wings, large sprawling complexes that can house tons of people!" Neville blushed again.

"You have four guest rooms." Harry replied, smiling.

"Hey!" Will said, "One of those is yours now, so technically we only have three."

"Anyway!" Ron clapped his hands, bringing them back on subject, "You all are welcome to stay over at my house this summer! It may not be a manor, but we've got a swimming pond and a spot to play quidditch!"

"That sounds pretty neat, actually!" Will said, "I'd love to stay at your house Ron, and Neville's as well!"

"I'd offer as well," Hermione said, "But I'd need to talk to my parents first."

"That's okay," Harry said, "We'll keep in touch through owl post, yeah? We can work everything out later."

"That reminds me," Will said, "Hermione, what's your address?"

"What?" Hermione asked, confused, "Why do you want to know? Owl post doesn't need an address."

"Just in case," Will said, "Something weird is going to happen over the summer, so it might be useful." Hermione gave him a look for a moment, then wrote her address down and gave it to Will. "Thanks," He told her.

* * *

After a while, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and with a loud hiss, came to a stop. As Will disembarked, he saw his family waving to him. He waved back, beaming. They were standing with the Weasleys, and they all headed over.

Mum grabbed Harry and Will into a big hug as Dad helped with their trunks.

"Ooh, it's so good to see you!" Mum said, "I've missed you two." She leaned back to get a better look at them. "Introduce me to your friends."

Harry smiled, and gestured over his shoulder, "That's Ron," Ron was in the middle of getting a big hug from his mum, "You've probably heard about the Weasleys in our letters."

"Yes, that's how we recognized them earlier," Dad said, loading the trunks onto a luggage trolley.

"Neville is.." Will said, looking around, and spotting him walking over with his Gran, "There he is."

"Neville Longbottom," Neville introduced himself, "This is my Gran Augusta Longbottom." Augusta was wearing her vulture hat, Will noticed.

"Have we met before?" Neville's Gran said, shaking Mum's hand.

Mum pondered for a moment, "Yes, I think, briefly in Diagon Alley, but I don't think we were introduced. I'm Helen Nelson, and this is my husband Brian."

"It's wonderful to meet you both." Augusta said, shaking Dad's hand as well.

"There's Hermione and her parents!" Will said, and Hermione came over with two adults. She looked a lot like her mum, and her dad was a dark haired man with kind eyes.

"I'm Henry Granger," He introduced himself, "And this is my wife Jean."

"You must be Will's parents," Jean said, "It's lovely to meet you. Your son has been a good friend to our daughter."

"Mum!" Hermione blushed, probably embarrassed. As they were talking, Mr and Mrs. Weasley had wrangled all of their kids as well, and walked over.

"And you must be Mrs. Longbottom," Henry Granger added, "It's wonderful to meet you as well."

Augusta shook his hand as well. She turned to Dad again, "Neville has told me you have been taking care of Harry Potter, is that true?"

Mum and Dad looked at each other, seemingly confused, "Sort of," Dad began, "It's a long story."

Neville's Gran nodded, "I'm aware he was placed with his aunt and uncle, as Neville has informed me, and that they were not good guardians to him. I wanted to thank you, as my son and his wife were good friends to the Potters."

"Were?" Mrs. Granger asked, "Did something happen?" Will winced.

Augusta paused for a moment, "I suppose you wouldn't be aware, would you?" She sighed. "I forgot how much there is you wouldn't know, having lived solely in the muggle world."

"Does this have something to do with the war?" Mum asked, "We're aware that there was a magical war that ended about a decade ago."

Augusta nodded, "This really isn't the best place to talk about this, though. Why don't we pick a time to get together someday this summer? I can fill all of you in what you need to know going forward."

"We can help with that," Mrs. Weasley added, "Why don't you all come to the Burrow?"

Will pulled his friends away from their parents, so they could talk.

"My mum can talk forever, so we probably have a bit before we need to say goodbye." Will said.

"She seems nice," Neville said, "And according to their conversation, we'll be meeting even sooner than expected."

"Good," Hermione said, "We'll have more time to spend together that way."

"Don't forget to practice your Occlumency while we're apart," Will reminded, "And don't travel too far in Astral form, it tires you out the further you get from your body."

"Yes, mum," Ron snorted, and Harry chuckled. Will tried to put on a disgruntled face, but couldn't help smiling.

"Will!" a voice called. Will turned around to see his siblings approach.

"Guys, this is my brother Liam, he'll be starting next year." Will said, gesturing to his brother, "And next to him is my sister Alice. She'll be starting our fifth year."

Liam waved, and Alice smiled shyly at them.

"Alice is my mum's name," Neville said, surprised.

"Really?" Alice asked, smiling a bit wider. "I like my name."

"It's a good name," Neville said, smiling a bit sadly.

"I've felt a bit like an Alice myself recently," Hermione said, "Hogwarts certainly was a wonderland." Neville and Ron just looked confused. "You've never read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?" She asked, scandalized.

"They have different stories, I told you." Will said, "They definitely haven't seen the movie either."

Alice gasped, "That's my favorite movie! How could they have never seen it?"

"What's a movie?" Neville asked.

Harry frowned, "We'll have to fix this," He said to Will.

Will nodded, "It looks like there's a movie night at our house in the future." Harry and Hermione looked excited at the prospect, but Neville and Ron just looked at each other, bemused.

Suddenly, there was a squeak from behind Ron. It looked like Ginny had been sidling over to try to get closer to Harry, but had tripped over a trunk.

"Ginny!" Ron said, exasperated, "Were you eavesdropping?"

"No!" She blurted out, looking embarrassed, "I was just-"

"Is this your sister, Ron?" Will asked, trying to head off any conflict.

"Yeah," Ron nodded, "This is Ginevra Weasley."

"Don't call me that, Ronald!" She said, before stomping on his foot.

"Ouch!" Ron bent down, nursing his toes.

"Will you be starting Hogwarts next year as well?" Liam asked.

Ginny looked at him and nodded, "You as well?"

"I'm glad I'll know someone in my year ahead of time," Liam smiled at her.

"Me too, I-," Ginny started, before noticing Harry standing next to Liam and squeaking again. Backing up with a startled look on her face, she turned and left, heading to where Fred and George were talking with their friends.

"What was that about?" Harry asked, bemused.

"She must be a Harry Potter Fan," Hermione sighed.

"She is," Ron confirmed, "Big time."

Harry's face cramped. He was definitely still uncomfortable with his fame.

Will looked over to see his mum waving to him. The parents must have finished their talk then. "Time to go guys," He said pointing at the parents who were now approaching them.

"Alright," Hermione nodded, "I'll see you all soon, okay?"

"Of course!" Will said, and he was looking forward to it, too.

After saying their goodbyes, they all went their separate ways, heading for home.

* * *

Once they were all in the car, Mum turned to Will and Harry, "Now what was all that I heard about from Professor Mcgonagall in the end of year report? Something about you being in the hospital wing, Will? _Twice?_"

Will groaned. What was he going to tell them?


	22. Y2 Chapter 22, The Burrow

In the end, Will and Harry decided to tell Mum and Dad almost everything. They would probably find out anyway, and lying would only get them in more trouble.

Starting from the beginning, they explained Will's Astral Projection powers (leaving out that he wasn't really Will), and the philosopher's stone plot. Mum was incensed.

"How could they put something like that in a school!?" She exclaimed, "Don't they care for their student's well being!?"

Talking about the troll again brought up some questions from Dad, "What was your fight about, anyway? In Harry's letters home, it was clear you two weren't talking because of something Will did, but you never told us exactly that thing was."

Will froze, "I- I- Uh-" How could he tell them without all of his secrets coming out!?

"It doesn't matter," Harry cut in, "It was a misunderstanding, anyway. It's in the past now."

Will and Harry looked at each other, and Will smiled in thanks for the save. Harry gave him a lopsided grin in response.

Mum smiled, "I'm glad, it was hard reading about you both so miserable so far away with nothing we could do."

Dad nodded in agreement, "Alright, but what was that about going after the stone? I know that the Troll was just 'wrong place, wrong time', but that was different. This time you deliberately disobeyed a school rule and went into a situation you knew was dangerous. I want to hear what you have to say for yourselves."

"It was stupid." Will said, looking down. "The teachers had everything in hand and I didn't believe them. I put all of my friends in harm's way and it wasn't even necessary."

"It's my fault," Harry blurted, surprising Will. "I was the one who insisted we go after it. Voldemort coming back to life was something I couldn't let happen no matter what!" It almost looked like Harry might cry.

Dad and Mum looked at each other, before Mum turned back to them and put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"It wasn't your responsibility to ensure that. It will always be the teacher's job to protect you, not the other way around." Mum said gently.

"But the teachers weren't doing anything about it!" Harry cried, "Dumbledore was gone, and we thought for sure that Voldemort would get the stone if something wasn't done!"

"But from what you both have told us, Voldemort wouldn't have gotten away with the stone even if you hadn't done anything." Dad said, "I know you didn't know that, and thought that everything was on your shoulders, so that's the reason we're not punishing you this time. But you do see why we're upset, right? You didn't trust the adults around you to have everything in hand, and put yourselves in very real danger."

Harry's shoulders shook, and Mum pulled him in for a hug. Will threw his arms around both of them, and Dad rubbed Harry and Will's backs awkwardly.

After a moment, the hug ended, and Harry pulled away a bit, wiping his eyes, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Will said, also a little teary.

Mum sighed, "It's not your fault. It never should have happened in the first place. I need to have a long talk with your professors and headmaster. Or find someone else willing to."

* * *

Two days later, the plan was for everyone to meet at the Leaky Cauldron, and they'd portkey over to the Burrow from there. At least, that's what Will had gathered from what his parents had told him on the way home from King's Cross Station.

It wasn't too difficult to get to the Leaky Cauldron, just a half hour train ride and a bit of a walk. Upon arriving, Will noticed that Hermione and her parents were already there.

"Hermione!" Will called, and she waved excitedly at him as he walked over.

"I'm so excited," She smiled, "We're going to see a magical house!"

"I'm pretty excited myself," Will said, looking around. His parents were talking to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and his siblings were staring in awe at everything. Right, they hadn't gotten to see the Leaky Cauldron before. "I'm looking forward to trying a portkey."

Speaking of which, just then the fireplace roared, and Mr. Weasley stepped out lightly.

"Good, you're all here," He said, nodding, gesturing for them to approach. As they did, Arthur pulled out a deflated football. "This is a portkey. How it works is rather complicated, but I'll explain what you need to do as best as you can. In about-" Mr. Weasley checked his watch, "Two minutes, this portkey will transport whoever is touching it to the predetermined location. The location this time being, of course, the Burrow. All you need to do is touch it, any amount will do. Anything you are carrying will be transported as well. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded. "Alright!" said Mr. Weasley, "Last thing to note is that it's going to be a bit of a wild ride, for those that aren't used to it. Be aware that you probably will fall down upon arrival. Is everyone ready?" He held out the football. Everyone made sure they were touching the deflated ball, and they waited for a moment.

"I've gotta ask," Dad said, "Why a deflated football?"

"The Ministry closely regulates portkeys," Arthur said, "Because even muggles can use them. We don't want anyone not in the know to pick up a portkey and be transported somewhere else. That's a headache to clean up. That's why portkeys are always made from something that looks like trash, so no one will touch it."

"I see," Dad said, but Will didn't hear any more because of the feeling like a hook from somewhere behind his navel yanking him forwards. There was a bright cacophony of color as he whirled around the deflated football, feeling as though he was traveling a great distance and standing still, all at the same time. After a moment, he felt the ground suddenly reappear beneath him again, but his body continued moving causing his feet to fly out from under him, and he landed on his backside, Alice in his lap.

Looking around, he saw he wasn't the worst one off. Harry was flat on his back, and Liam had face-planted, somehow. The only ones that had remained standing were Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Granger. Mum helped up Liam as Dad tried to keep a hold of his breakfast. He had always gotten a bit motion-sick.

"Well, that certainly was… something." Mr. Granger said.

"I need a moment," Dad replied.

"Can we do it again?" Alice laughed.

"Alright everyone!" A pleasantly warm voice called, and Will turned to see Mrs. Weasley approaching. They'd arrived a little ways from the house, allowing them to see the building in its full glory. Magic really was the only explanation that the house was still standing, because gravity should have destroyed it years ago. The floors were piled on top of each other with no semblance of order, causing the house to lean to one side. It was amazing.

"Right this way, we're situated on the patio." Mrs. Weasley said, leading everyone around the side of the house to find a large table set up. Neville and his Gran were there, along with the Weasley kids minus Percy. He was probably inside, writing letters to his girlfriend. (Had that happened yet? Will wasn't sure.)

"Now, you lot go play Quidditch," Mrs. Weasley said, "We adults need some time to talk without interruptions. Go on, off you go."

"Talk about what, exactly?" One of the twins said suspiciously.

"What fun adult secrets are you keeping from us?" The other asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other, but Mum cut in, "They're just going to be explaining everything us muggles need to know about having a magical child, is all. I'm sure it's stuff you already know, though, right?"

The twins looked at each other and shrugged, trudging off to get the quidditch supplies, probably. Ron followed after, Ginny on his heels. After a moment, Hermione and Neville followed as well, though a bit more sedately.

"You sure you don't need us for this conversation?" Will asked. He wanted to be a part of this, wanted to know what the magical parents were going to tell the muggle ones. The last thing he needed was for his parents to decide to pull him out of Hogwarts.

"Not for this first part." Mum said, smiling, "Go play with your friends, we'll call for you when we need you." Will shrugged, and Harry pulled him along after the others.

It didn't take them long to catch up, and they found Fred and George handing out old looking brooms to the others out of the quidditch supplies shed. Hermione and Neville had chosen to remain on the ground. Will grabbed a broom, and took his siblings on a ride, one at a time, to give them a feel of what being on a broom was like (Mum had said that they weren't allowed on brooms by themselves until they took the flying lessons available at Hogwarts).

It wasn't long before everyone else was in the air, playing a simple version of quidditch, two chasers and a keeper on each team. They'd play for a game, then switch team members. They even managed to get Neville into the air for a bit to play a round. Will was currently playing Keeper, but not doing a very good job of it. He was distracted with thoughts of what the parents could be discussing.

Harry pulled up alongside him, "Are you alright? You seem kind of distracted."

Will nodded, "Yeah, just worried about what the adults are talking about. What if they want to pull us from Hogwarts?"

That brought Harry up short, "Do you think they'll do that?"

Will shrugged halfheartedly, "I don't know."

The others had noticed that they weren't playing anymore, and one of the twins (maybe George?) called out to them, "Hey guys? Why'd you stop?"

"He's afraid his parents are going to pull us out of Hogwarts." Harry said, and all of the Weasleys let out cries of shock.

"They can't do that!" Ron cried, dismayed.

Will gestured for them to land, and they all did, somewhat reluctantly. This got Neville, Will's siblings, and Hermione's attention.

"What's going on?" Neville said, hopping up from where he'd been sitting. Hermione stood up as well, brushing the grass off of her pants.

"Will's parents might pull them out of Hogwarts!" Ron said, gesturing to Will and Harry.

"What!?" Neville cried, but Hermione looked thoughtful.

"That's something I've been worried about too," She admitted, "With everything that happened this year, what if my parents decide that magic is too dangerous?"

"No! Not you too Hermione!" Ron said.

Will looked around. Everyone had sad looks on their faces. Ginny looked like she might cry. "Okay, now hold on," Will said, "I'm sure that the magical parents will try to dissuade them from doing that, if it comes up in conversation."

Just then they heard Mrs. Weasley's voice calling them over. The trip back towards the house was much more sedated than the one before. Upon arriving, Will got nervous seeing the serious expressions on the adults faces.

Ron must have noticed too, because he blurted out, "You're not going to remove them from Hogwarts, are you!?"

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked shocked, and Augusta Longbottom brought a hand to her mouth.

Mum and Dad looked at each other, and Will's heart sank. After a moment, Mum looked back, "It was something we had been considering, yes." She admitted. All of Will's friends' faces fell.

"Were you planning on sending them to another magical school, or leaving the magical world entirely?" Augusta asked. Something about her tone caught Will's attention.

"We considered both options, but were leaning toward leaving entirely," Dad said, shaking his head. "From what you've told us, the magical world is an especially dangerous place to be a muggleborn child."

"Especially with all of those You-Know-Who supporters still at large!" Mrs. Granger interjected.

"I know you've said that the past school year was nowhere near a normal school year in the magical world, but from what I've gathered, things are only going to get worse!" Mum said, standing up quickly.

"How do you mean?" Mr. Weasley asked, furrowing his brow. Ms. Weasley looked like she wanted to have the children leave again, but didn't want to interrupt. She kept sending looks between them and the door. Will wasn't going to budge, though.

"From what the children have told us, You-Know-Who has already tried to come back once. He's going to keep trying until he's successful. And someday, he will be successful. It could be decades from now, or it could be tomorrow, but we can't prevent it forever. If there was some way of preventing it permanently you would have done it already, right?" Mum explained, looking around, "And his supporters are still here, just waiting for him. The war a decade ago will pick up right where it left off. I don't want my children to be a part of that."

Will really wanted to know what the adults had been talking about before!

Augusta's voice cut through the conversation, halting it in its tracks, "Unfortunately, you won't have a choice."

Mum looked confused, and a bit angry, "Excuse me?"

Augusta sighed and stood, wiping down her robes, "Everything you have said is essentially correct. But running to the Muggle world to avoid it won't be able to save you. When magical children leave school to return to the muggle world before finishing their OWLs, they and their families have their memories wiped so that they forget all about magic. The magical world would still remember you, leaving a target on your backs, but you wouldn't even remember you were in danger. Many muggleborns and their families died that way in the previous war."

The Grangers looked horrified. Mum and Dad weren't much better, "But- That's-" Mum said. Will had never seen her this taken off guard.

"Your best bet is to stay in the magical world, and for your children to get the best magical education they can," Augusta continued, "And Hogwarts has the best curriculum and teachers in the British Isles."

She looked around at all of the frightened and dismayed faces, "All that being said, though, there are steps you can take to make yourselves safer. They are already as safe as they can be at Hogwarts, but you can make your homes safer as well. Gringotts offers services to put wards around homes. It's rather expensive, but all good protections are."

Dad looked confused, "Wards? I'm not familiar…"

Mrs. Weasley cut in, "Wards are like invisible barriers around an area, they can do things like protect against fire, flood, or people with bad intentions."

Mr. Granger frowned, "Those sound wonderful, but would they be allowed in muggle areas?"

Mr. Weasley seemed to consider for a moment, "Any that have effects that can be witnessed by muggles that aren't in the know wouldn't, but some of the more subtle ones would be. You'd have to take a visit to Gringotts to find out just what would be available to you. Anti-Fire wards are allowed, I know that much, they cause any fire that starts to go out before it can really get going. I'd recommend those even if you decide to not get any others."

"I definitely want those," Mum said, and Will snickered. Mum was known for forgetting to turn the stove off after using it. She'd never started any fires doing it, but it might happen someday.

Mum sighed, "I understand. I don't like it, but I do understand. We'll head to Gringotts in a week or two to learn more about wards."

"Does that mean- Am I staying at Hogwarts?" Will asked, hopeful. Mum startled, like she'd forgotten that the kids were still there.

Turning and walking over, Mum put a hand on Harry and Will's shoulders, "Do you both want to continue attending Hogwarts?"

Harry and Will both nodded, and Mum sighed, "I can admit when I'm out of my depth, but you'll have to promise to take care of each other. Study hard, learn to protect yourselves, and don't be afraid to go to a teacher if things get too dangerous. If you promise me that, we won't pull you out of Hogwarts."

"The same goes for you, Hermione," Mr. Granger said sternly, "I probably don't have to make you promise to study, but learning a form of defense wouldn't go amiss, I think."

Hermione looked greatly relieved, "We've already started," She said, "We're learning Occlumency from some books Professor Dumbledore gave us." Fred and George looked surprised at this. Maybe Will should have included them?

"That's a good idea," Augusta considered, "Keeping your mind protected is just as important as protecting your body. Neville, do you have these books a well?"

Neville nodded, "I've already started practicing."

"So have I," Harry said, and Ron nodded along.

"What?" One of the twins said, "We want to be included too!"

"Just one question, what's Occlumency?" the other asked.

"Occlumency is the ability to block others from reading your mind," Hermione recited, "Its opposite, the ability to read minds, is called Legilimency."

"Yeah, definitely want to learn that." The twins said, weirdly in unison.

"I want to learn too!" Ginny said, which was quickly repeated by Liam and Alice.

"Alright, alright," Mr. Weasley said, "It's a good skill to learn, so you all should practice it. I'll make copies of the books for all of you."

The conversation wound down from the emotional high point it had just hit, and soon they were taking another portkey back to the Leaky Cauldron and heading home.


	23. Y2 Chapter 23, What in the Ward?

A little later in the week after the visit to the Burrow, Mum took Harry and Will to Diagon Alley for a visit to Gringotts. After waiting in line, a goblin bank teller finally called them over. Mum told him that they were there to have wards put around a house in a muggle area, and he directed them to what seemed to be a sort of conference room. They sat down to wait, and not long after they did another goblin bustled in with some pamphlets and papers in his arms.

"Good afternoon," He said, setting down the papers he was carrying, "My name is Gornuk. I've been told you are looking to purchase wards for a muggle home?"

"Yes," mum said, "I'm Helen Nelson, and they are Will Nelson and Harry Potter. We were hoping there was some sort of explanation or list for which wards would be available to us?"

The goblin blinked at Harry's name, but nodded, and pulled out one of the pamphlets and set it in front of mum. Will peered over her shoulder as she read. It was an explanation on the rules and regulations for putting wards in a muggle neighborhood. A dry read, but basically explained what the Weasleys had told them before. When she was finished, the goblin pulled out another pamphlet and set it in front of her.

This one was much more interesting, having a list of enchantments available. There were quite a lot, Anti-Fire, Anti-Flood, Hex-Deflection, Security-Alarm, Intruder-Alarm, to name a few.

"How does the Anti-Fire ward work?" Will asked, "Would it prevent all fire on the property? We use fire to cook."

Gornuk nodded, "By itself, yes it would, but mixed with an Intent-Reading ward, the Anti-Fire ward would only put out fires you didn't intend to set."

Will nodded, "So can the intent ward mix with all the wards on this list?"

"Yes," The goblin said, "Intent-Reading wards are very versatile."

Will had an idea, "What about a ward that prevents specific people from entering the property? Such as people with the Dark Mark? Would those be allowed?"

"It's possible," Gornuk looked surprised, "We know the magical signature that the Dark Mark gives off, and a ward could be created to keep those with it off of a property." The goblin sighed, "Unfortunately, we won't be able to publish it. If certain members of the wizarding population were made aware of it, I'm sure it would be made illegal."

"But it's not illegal right now, right?" Will pressed.

Gornuk paused, and a smile spread across his face. It was not a nice smile. "I like you. Will, was it?" Will nodded, and the Goblin continued, "As you say, we can do that for you if you want."

"Mum, this is perfect!" Will said, "Voldemort marks all of his followers with the Dark Mark, preventing them from entering the property will go a long way towards making us safer."

Mum nodded, and the business continued. They eventually decided to get quite a few wards done.

-Anti-Fire and Anti-Flood, both tied to intent wards so they could cook and fill the bath.

-Hex-Deflection, not very subtle, but if someone was casting magic at the house it was already too late for the Statute of Secrecy.

-Muggle-Repelling, the kind that made you remember something else that needed doing right now, with a bad intent trigger ward, so that only muggles with bad intent would be repelled.

-Security Alarm, so an alarm would go off if someone attacked the wards.

-Intruder Alarm, with a bad intent trigger ward.

-Anti-Apparition and Anti-Disapparition, with bad intent trigger wards.

-Anti-Portkey, with a bad intent trigger ward.

-Anti-Dark-Mark.

There were a couple of other things they'd had to purchase, such as ward stones so that the wards would last.

"Ward stones are typically buried inside of the property and act as batteries for the wards, powering them by absorbing magic from the earth," Gornuk explained, "You get to decide how many you want."

Mum looked at Will and Harry. Will considered his options. Both three and seven were magical numbers, well, so was thirteen, but that seemed to be asking for bad luck.

"I'm leaning towards seven, what would you recommend, Gornuk?" Will asked.

Gornuk seemed surprised to be asked, "Seven is a good choice. Three would have been acceptable as well, but while three would lend to more stability, it's not as powerful as seven. Thirteen is the only more powerful number than seven, but it's also unpredictable, so it's not usually used in warding."

After getting everything settled, Gornuk handed them the final bill. Mum blanched a bit when she saw it, but paid for it anyway. Will tried to take a peek at the price, but wasn't able to see it before mum handed it back to Gornuk. After they arranged for the Warders to arrive at the house in a week, mum and the boys said their goodbyes and left.

* * *

It was the day the Warders were scheduled to arrive, and Will was waiting for the paper while eating breakfast. He'd mail ordered a subscription to the Daily Prophet early in the month, as well as a subscription to the Quibbler, the former because he'd hoped for news about Sirius, and the latter because it was fun to read. So far, all's quiet on the Sirius front though. Will wondered what was taking so long. Maybe the Ministry was covering it up?

As he was thinking, an owl tapped on the kitchen window. Will got up and opened the window, allowing the owl to hop inside. He offered the owl some water and a bit of bacon, and after he paid and took the paper the owl took off again.

Sitting back down, Will unrolled the paper to read the headline.

Sirius Black: Innocent!

He nearly shouted in surprise. The headline took up the entire front page, so opening the paper, Will read the article. It looked like this article was so big, it needed a whole insert for itself.

In a surprising turn of events yesterday, during the Wizengamot meeting, Dumbledore brought forth new evidence in the case of Sirius Black's betrayal of the Potters. And what was that new evidence? An alive Peter Pettigrew!

For those who aren't familiar, over a decade ago Sirius Black's betrayal of the Potters and murder of thirteen people (including Pettigrew) made national headlines, and Black has spent the time since in Azkaban. But with the interrogation of Pettigrew under Veritaserum, the truth of the matter has now come to light. Black was never guilty of the crimes he was accused of in the first place! All of it was the work of Pettigrew, who cleverly framed Black, and has since been in hiding in his unregistered animagus form.

'But how did this not come out in Black's trial a decade ago?' you might ask. Well, as the Wizengamot meeting has made clear, all those years ago Black was never given a trial! He was illegally sent directly to Azkaban. The man responsible was Bartemius Crouch, who has since been arrested and is awaiting trial.

We can only hope that Sirius Black is able to recover from his horrible stint in Azkaban, and our thoughts and best wishes are with him in this tumultuous time. How will the Ministry make amends for its terrible mistake? Once Black is recovered, as a close friend of the Potters, will he try to get custody of Harry Potter? Only time will tell.

More on the Wizengamot meeting A2

More on the events twelve years ago A3

Predictions on Sirius Black's recovery A4

Predictions on the Ministry's reparations A5

"HARRY!" Will yelled. As soon as Harry came downstairs, they went over the articles together with a fine toothed comb. As they were dining that, Mum bustled in.

"What was the yelling about?" She asked, picking up Will's dirty dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.

"Harry's godfather has been found innocent!" Will cried triumphantly.

"Oh that's wonderful!" Mum said, "That poor man. From what you've told me, Azkaban sounds completely dreadful, he'll need a lot of time to recover from an ordeal like that, I think."

"Does that mean I'll have to go live with him?" Harry asked, a strange expression on his face. Will wondered what that was about, was he feeling conflicted about going to live with a man he didn't even know?

Mum glanced over at him, then set down the dishes and dried her hands. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Only if you want to," She said, "Our house will always be open to you too. You'll always have a place here." Harry nodded, eyes bright.

"But that's going to be a ways in the future," Will said, "He's got to recover first. Maybe we could invite him to stay with us while he does?" He asked mum.

Mum considered for a moment, "I would like to get to know him if he's going to take custody of Harry. Why don't you send him a letter?" She asked Harry.

Harry nodded, and ran to grab the necessary supplies. He and Will deliberated on what to write, but eventually went with:

Dear Sirius Black,

My name is Harry Potter. I've been told you were friends with my parents. Professor Dumbledore told me that you were innocent at the end of last year, and I've been looking forward to getting to know you since then, but I didn't want to impose. If you want to get to know me as well, please send a letter back.

Sincerely,

Harry Potter

Will knew Sirius would want to get to know Harry, but it was always good to be polite, right? Plus, it would allow Sirius to set the tone on what he wanted this relationship to be. Harry sent off the letter with Hedwig, but a few minutes later Hedwig came back without it.

"That's odd," Will said, "She wasn't gone long enough to deliver it. Try again."

They rewrote the letter, and sent it off again, with the same result.

"Hmm," Will said, "Harry, follow me." Will led Harry to his room.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"There's a house elf that's obstructing your mail," Will explained, "I'm hoping that if you call his name, he'll appear and we can ask him to stop."

"Alright," Harry said, and after Will gave Harry the name, he called out, "Dobby!"

With a little pop, a house-elf appeared, wrapped in dirty rags and a confused expression.

"How did you know?" He asked, twisting his ears, "How are you knowing Dobby's name?"

"First of all, stop that," Will said, pointing to his ears, "Please don't hurt yourself in front of us, okay?"

Dobby nodded, starstruck, "I knew Harry Potter sir was great, but even his friends are good! Good to poor Dobby." He looked like he might cry.

"It's okay," Will soothed, "Harry has some questions for you, alright?"

Dobby nodded again, ears flapping, and Harry took over, "Why are you stealing my mail?" He asked.

Dobby frowned, and looked around as if to escape, or maybe grab something to hurt himself with.

Will interrupted, "It's okay! It's okay, you don't need to hurt yourself, we're not mad."

Dobby shivered, but answered, "I be hoping that Harry Potter Sir thinks he has no friends, he not be wanting to go back to Hogwarts. Terrible things will be happening this year, very dangerous things. Harry Potter Sir must not go back! He would be in great danger!"

"What?" Harry gasped, "I need to go back!"

"Dobby," Will said seriously, "I know what's going to happen. We have a plan to stop it before it starts." Harry looked at Will. So did Dobby, but Dobby's expression was very surprised.

"You do?" Dobby asked.

"I do," Will said, "I also know who your masters are, and we're going to try to help you as well."

Dobby gasped, "You is going to help Dobby? Really?" Big fat tears rolled down Dobby's cheeks.

"Yes," Will nodded, "So because the terrible things aren't going to happen, can you give Harry back his letters? It's really important that Harry send and receive those letters."

Dobby got a serious look on his face, "How? How is you going to stop the terrible things?"

Will explained, "Your master is going to put the diary in Ginny Weasley's cauldron, I'm going to take it before she can use it, and give it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore will be able to destroy it."

Dobby seemed greatly relieved, and nodded seriously, "Dumblydoor is being very powerful."

Will continued, "Can we have your help Dobby? We won't ask you to do anything that would put you in danger, but we could really use your help."

"Dobby not be sure how much he can be doing to help, but Dobby is willing to try." Dobby nodded determinedly.

"You can tell when your name is called, correct? Is there a distance that's too far for you to hear it?" Will asked.

"No," Dobby said, shaking his head, "Dobby be hearing when his name is called from anywhere." Dang, Will was impressed.

"Unfortunately, we can't have you doing too much, for your own safety. As long as you're still a servant to your masters you're in danger." Will said, "What you need to do right now is pretend that everything is normal. Pretend that you didn't see anything and you never met us. We'll call for you at a later date to go over more information, okay?"

Dobby nodded seriously, "I be understanding, sirs. Dobby will be waiting until then." With a soft pop Dobby disappeared again, leaving a small stack of letters in his place.

Will stared at the spot Dobby had been standing in. He hadn't quite finished speaking, but oh well. That was enough for now, he guessed.

"Was that good or bad?" Harry asked, looking at Will.

"Good, I think." Will said, stooping to pick up the stack of letters, "He would have made our lives a bit difficult while trying to protect you. I'll explain later."

Rifling through the letters, Will saw the two copies of the letter Harry tried to send, plus a letter from Hermione and a letter from Neville. They were addressed to both of them, so as Harry resent the letter to Sirius, Will opened the letter from Hermione.

It was a rather brief letter for her, though that was expected as they'd seen each other a little more than a week ago. In it she talked about how her Occlumency training was going,

'-Pretty well, I think. The first step of clearing my mind was difficult for me at first, but I'm getting quicker at it. Step two was easier, creating the mental shield, and I've started the practice of step three, holding them constantly throughout the day. Soon, I think I'll be able to move on to starting to step four, construct my mind palace!-'

How her parents were feeling about her going back to Hogwarts,

'-They understand that this is something I have to do, they just worry, you know? I was initially worried that they might send me to a different school, but as there's no guarantees it won't be just as dangerous there, they've decided that that was too drastic a move. They think America is too far, and I'd have to study a whole new language for the closer ones, though maybe there are spells to help with that. We'll have to check the library at school to see if that's possible. Not that I want to leave Hogwarts of course-'

And about getting wards set up around her house,

'-The process of setting wards up must be fascinating to watch! I'm looking forward to the Warders' visit, and hopefully I'll get to ask them a few questions that I have. I'll try not to overwhelm them or bother them, so don't worry. I've just been curious about how they connect the wards to the stones and how they choose what material to use. Do you think-'.

It wasn't like reading one of her essays, rigid in structure and articulation. This was more like having a conversation with Hermione when she was excited, quickly moving from topic to topic, a sort of stream of consciousness in the form of a letter. Will smiled as he realized that this must be how her mind worked. A constant dialogue, making connections and adding new information to a great web of understanding.

After finishing the letter he handed it to Harry, who had just finished sending Sirius' letter, before opening Neville's.

His letter was brief as well, with a more hesitant hand. He talked about his Occlumency progress,

'-Clearing my mind came rather easy to me, it was sort of like how I feel when I tend to the plants in the greenhouse. Getting the shield to stay sturdy is harder, it's taking a while to find a mental image that won't fold under an attack. The one I have now is alright, but I'll keep working on it-'

How the plants in his greenhouse were doing,

'-I'm just glad nothing bad happened while we were at school. I know Lilac is perfectly capable of looking after the plants, but I still get nervous when I'm not around to care for them myself. I've decided to try my hand at growing Dittany. It's a rather finicky plant, so I've heard it can be somewhat difficult to grow. In more exciting news, the Luminescent Lilies have started to glow a little at night. It's a sign they'll soon start to bloom, so-'

And how his relationship with his grandmother was doing,

'-She hasn't said so, but I think she feels bad about trying to force me to use my dad's wand. She was extremely proud of me for the grades I got this past year, she kept bragging to Great-Uncle Algie about it over the floo. Seems like she still hasn't forgiven him for dropping me out of the window, he still isn't allowed over. I'm not sure I've forgiven him either.-"

Although on similar topics, Neville's letter was quite different. His was methodical, as though he put great thought into every word. Conscious of others' attention, he worried about how his actions came across, and therefore would hesitate to make a move at all. This was probably what made him seem slow to others, Will realized.

After setting Neville's letter down next to Harry, Will waited for Harry to finish reading the letters.

"They seem well," Harry said after he finished.

Will nodded, "I'm just glad their Occlumency is coming along." Harry was doing pretty well at that as well. He was still working on getting his shields to stay up constantly, but he'd been making progress. So far, it seemed like everyone was progressing faster than Will expected. They'd see how the shields would hold up to an actual attack, once they got back to school and had Dumbledore test them.

"Will! Harry!" Mum called from downstairs, "The Warders are here!" The boys looked at each other, then scrambled to get to the door.

* * *

The warding of the house was an interesting experience. The Warders were clever enough to come in a work van, so they could use the excuse that they were having some work done on the backyard. It also made travelling with the ward stones easier. Apparently you weren't supposed to do any magic on them until the actual casting of the wards, in order for the spells to take properly.

Will was sure that the van had an extension charm on it, how else had they fit all ten of them inside? He didn't recognize any of the workers, but they were all under contracts for secrecy so it was (probably) safe. The lead Warder was a woman with short cropped blonde hair and a rather impressive scar on her cheek named Emily. She was friendly and willing to answer their questions while the workers dug holes to place the wardstones in.

Nowadays, Wardstones were typically made from granite, due to its strength and abundance. They had pre-carved the wardstones, and after transporting them here by van all they had to do was set up the wards, attach them to the wardstones, and bury the wardstones. Then they'd be good.

The only part they'd need to be careful about was the actual casting. The spells taking effect was apparently a bit of a light show. They'd have to put up some camouflaging wards first, so that anyone looking around wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, the only way they could do that was a ward to hide the entire property, like the one on the Leaky Cauldron. If anyone was really paying attention they could notice a house was missing, so the Warders would have to be quick.

"Don't worry too much," Emily said, "We're pretty experienced at putting up Wards in muggle neighborhoods, so we've gotten this process down pat. It'll be over before anyone realizes anything." Wiping her hands on her pants, she stood up. As they'd been talking, the other Warders had gone to the truck and had brought back the wardstones. They were oblong in shape, about the size of a loaf of bread, and covered in symbols Will couldn't place. He wasn't sure if the stones were bigger or smaller than he'd expected.

"Everybody ready?" She asked, looking around at the other workers. When they all nodded or said their affirmatives, Emily turned back to look at Mum. "You guys want to stay and watch? It's a pretty cool experience for someone who's never seen it before."

Mum turned to look at the kids, " Do you all want to stay? It will probably be educational!"

Liam slapped a hand to his forehead, "I can't believe you mum, how did you manage to make something as cool as magic sound boring?" He said, laughing.

Alice was vibrating in excitement, "YES! I want to stay!" She nearly yelled.

"Me too!" Will added.

"Me three!" Harry nodded.

Me four," Laim said, still chuckling.

Mum looked at dad, then nodded to Emily. "We'd like to stay, if that's alright."

"No problem, no problem, I wouldn't have offered if it was a hassle," Emily laughed. She led everyone over to one side, and gestured for them to stay put. Turning away, she took a center position. Two of the other workers joined her, all three standing back to back in a triangle, while the other seven went to stand with one of the wardstones at the holes they had dug. After carefully placing the stones in the hole, everybody drew their wands. All sounds dropped away and shiver went down Will's spine. A hush seemed to fall over the entire world.

Emily took point, waving her wand in intricate patterns and swirls. A blur seemed to rise from the ground, quickly forming a bubble covering the entire property. Will squinted at the house next door, the bubble made everything outside blurry and indistinct.

"Camo's up," She said, and she and the other two began to move their wands in unison. Light dripped from their wands, forming pools that spread to fill the entire yard, the edges reaching up to make walls that curved upwards to meet in the middle high overhead. Beams of orange light flew out of the three's wands to hit the center above, the light spreading outwards to dye the walls from top to bottom, quickly being replaced from the top by blue as a new spell hit. Again and again, spells hit the top of the wards, each time dying the walls a different color before mixing together to form a bright white.

After what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, the three froze in unison, the last beam of light leaving their wands.

"Ward's up," Emily said, sounding tired. As soon as she said this, the seven pointed their wands at the crown, and with a pulling motion they coaxed strands of the white light downwards, attaching them to the top of the wardstones. The stones filled with that light, slowly, as the seven waved their wands over them. As soon as the stones were full, the seven magically filled the holes with dirt, some grass forming to cover the empty spots. Everyone raised their wands again and, with all of them moving in unison one last time, the light faded from view.

"Stone's in," Emily nodded, then raised her wand again. The indistinct blurriness seemed to melt away, and she gave her wand one final flourish before saying, "Camo's down."

There was a pause, then Mum started clapping. Will was surprised at the sudden noise, but looked around as Dad joined her. The Warders seemed almost bashful, so Will started to clap too, and the others joined in as well.

Emily laughed and took a little bow, before standing up again. "Oof, that took it out of me." She said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Oh! Of course, would you all like something to drink?" Mum asked, but Emily shook her head.

"Unfortunately we're still on the clock, so we've got to head back." After a quick pack up, they did just that. Will, Harry, Liam, and Alice all ran to the front yard to wave goodbye as the work van drove away.

* * *

"That was amazing," Mum said, once they were all back inside.

"I had no idea magic could be like that!" Will said, smiling. The magic he had felt during the warding was unlike anything he'd felt before. Maybe he should look into Warding as a possible career.

"Haven't you guys been seeing magic a lot at school?" Alice asked, surprised.

"Yeah, but nothing like that, we've been mostly doing the simple stuff. We're just starting out, after all." Harry said, and Will nodded in agreement.

"Either way, I can't wait to start Hogwarts!" Liam shouted, excited. Alice seemed torn between excitement and sadness. Probably that she wouldn't get to for a few more years.

"That's nice," Dad winced, "but there's no need to yell." He stood up, stretching. "I'll get us started on dinner, so why don't you all find something to do until then." He headed into the kitchen.

"That's alright, we've got some letters to write anyway," Will said, pulling Harry to his feet and heading upstairs. After writing their letters to Hermione and Neville, Will and Harry worked on their summer homework until they were called down for dinner.


End file.
